Pandoraviruses Are Not Alive
Pandoraviruses seemingly have the ability to produce an electrical potential across their membrane, a feature that is typically only associated with living cells.
Basic virology
Cigarette smoke increases infection severity of SAR-CoV-2 in airway cells in culture
Cigarette smoking appears to be associated with more severe COVID-19, but the underlying mechanisms have not been deciphered. The results of infection of airway cells in culture with SARS-CoV-2 provide some insight. Smoking is the most important cause of chronic lung disease, which in turn is a risk factor for severe COVID-19. Some studies have …
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T Cell Responses to Coronavirus Infection are Complicated
Some have suggested that pre-existing cross-reactive memory T cells in people with no prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 may have a protective effect. However, recent findings indicate that this may not be the case.
My Zoom Bookshelf
In this short video, I take you through some of the science books on my bookshelf, next to the desk where lately I have been spending a lot of time on Zoom. Not surprisingly, most of the books are about viruses.
An explanation for the low quality antibodies produced during serious SARS-CoV-2 infection
Although we are less than a year into the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it appears that the antibodies induced by infection are often of poor quality, and B cell memory seems limited. An explanation for this outcome might be a consequence of the loss of germinal centers in COVID-19 patients. Examination of lymph nodes and spleen of …
We missed SARS-CoV-2, what other coronaviruses are we ignoring?
After SARS-Cov came and went in 2003, we learned that bats in China harbor SARS-like coronaviruses with the capacity to infect human cells. This information was largely ignored, otherwise we would have stopped this pandemic in its tracks. A coronavirus that went from bats to pigs might represent yet another threat to human health. Swine …
We missed SARS-CoV-2, what other coronaviruses are we ignoring? Read More »