A novel strain of H1N1 swine influenza virus has now also been isolated from cases of respiratory disease in Mexico City, New York City, and two locations in Canada. Clearly I was wrong in hypothesizing that the five mild cases in Texas and California reported last week were not a cause for alarm. In Mexico …
A new strain of swine influenza virus has been recently isolated from seven persons in the US. Is it time to break out the swine flu vaccine of 1976? Last week the CDC reported that swine influenza virus had been isolated from two children with respiratory illness in California. The cases were not linked and …
In an NYTimes Op-Ed article called “The Scary Caterpillar”, Jeffrey Lockwood wrote about potential use of a virus as a weapon of bioterrorism: What if a terrorist group announced that their operatives had introduced Rift Valley fever into the United States? This mosquito-borne disease would make West Nile virus look like a case of the …
There are 62 koalas in Japanese zoos, and 50 of them are infected with koala retrovirus (KoRV). Infection may lead to leukemia and lymphoma, which could negatively impact Koala populations. What is the origin of KoRV? The koala is native to Australia where they are found in eastern and southern coastal areas. All koalas in …
I’m a big fan of Mark Crislip’s work – two podcasts (Persiflagers Infectious Disease Puscast, Quack Cast) and two blogs (Rubor, Dolor Calor Tumor, Science Based Medicine Blog). They have all been Picks of the Week at TWiV. But beware, his work is not for everyone. In his own words: Ridicule, bewailing, and scorn are …
On episode #28 of the podcast “This Week in Virology”, Vincent, Dick, Alan, and Eric F. Donaldson discuss a new test for influenza H5N1, poliovirus in Minnesota, Koala retrovirus, batteries made from viruses, and SARS. Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #28 or subscribe in iTunes or by email.
