After infection with poliovirus, only about 1% of individuals develop paralysis. I have always wondered whether genetic polymorphisms underlie the rarity of this disease outcome. The results of study carried out in Denmark provide the first insights.
From the 16th Smögen Summer Symposium on Virology, Vincent speaks with Erling Norrby about how he has used archival material to provide insight into early Nobel Prizes for research on viruses. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 564 (45 MB .mp3, 74 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
The TWiVologists consider whether to receive an influenza vaccine in August (in the northern hemisphere), and mice implanted with human lung fragments for studying microbial pathogens. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 563 (55 MB .mp3, 91 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
Mice are important animal models for studying human pathogens, but they have limitations: not all human viruses replicate in mice and often these animals do not reproduce aspects of disease and immune responses. Mice implanted with human bone marrow, liver, and thymus (BLT mice) develop human immune systems, but most pathogens infect other cell types. …
TWiV travels to Rutgers University to speak with Brad, Kay, Siobain, and Kim about their careers and their work on viruses of plants, fungi, bacteria, diatoms, and coccolithophores. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 562 (77 MB .mp3, 127 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
In the 19th century the word ‘virus€™ was used to describe the cause of any contagious disease. How it came to describe the very small intracellular parasites that we know today is a fascinating story that illustrates our evolving concepts of infectious agents. Long before bacteria, fungi, and viruses were identified, it was known that …
