Author name: Gertrud U. Rey

Gertrud Rey (who also goes by Trudy Rey) is a trained virologist who resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She has a PhD in molecular genetics and biochemistry from Georgia State University, where her studies involved the analysis of various aspects of the genetics of West Nile virus and simian hemorrhagic fever virus. After finishing the PhD program in 2007, she accepted a post-doctoral fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she continued to study virology in the context of respiratory syncytial virus, with a more pronounced focus on immunology. During that time, she was also a lecturer at Georgia State University, where she designed an undergraduate biology course and supervised teaching assistants at the university’s biology laboratory. In 2012, she decided to retire from bench science and lecturing to pursue a career in patent law. She is now registered as a patent agent at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and works for a major law firm. Her day to day responsibilities include preparing and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications in the field of molecular and cell biology, virology, biochemistry, genetic engineering, tissue engineering, transgenic biology, stem cell research, immunology, drug delivery, phage therapeutics, and medical devices. However, Trudy still spends much of her free time communicating science, both for virology blog, and for her very own YouTube channel, where she hosts a show about viruses called “Catch This.” You can also find her on X, under the handle “Dr. T.” Trudy was also a guest on TWiV 179 and 424.

Transmission of Monkeypox Virus Through Contaminated Objects

2 Comments / Basic virology, Gertrud Rey / By

by Gertrud U. Rey Recent news headlines are fueling public fears about possible transmission of monkeypox virus through contact with contaminated objects like bedding or clothing. However, data generated using environmental sampling methods indicate that the likelihood of this type of transmission is very low. In a study involving a two-person household in Utah in …

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Transmission of Enteric Viruses through Saliva

6 Comments / Basic virology, Gertrud Rey / By

by Gertrud U. Rey Norovirus and rotavirus are considered to be enteric pathogens because they are traditionally thought to be transmitted by the fecal-oral route; i.e., when consuming food prepared by someone who did not wash their hands properly after using the bathroom. Unlike rabies virus, which replicates in the salivary glands and transmits through …

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Herd Immunity and this Pandemic

6 Comments / Basic virology, Gertrud Rey / By

by Gertrud U. Rey Herd immunity occurs when a large enough percentage of the population has acquired either natural or vaccine-induced immunity against an infectious disease, thereby indirectly protecting a minority of non-immune individuals who are dispersed throughout the population. During this pandemic, many prominent scientists have stated that it is impossible to achieve herd …

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Fighting Viruses with Viruses

3 Comments / Basic virology, Gertrud Rey / By

by Gertrud U. Rey Errors during viral replication can give rise to shortened and/or rearranged genomic sequences known as “defective viral genomes” (DVGs). Because DVGs often lack critical elements needed for replication and formation of new viral particles, virions containing DVGs can only complete a replication cycle if they co-infect a cell together with respective …

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