Phi Kappa Zeta Builds a Panic Room
by Gertrud U. Rey Bacteria use at least a couple of pathways for protecting themselves against viral infection. In return, multiple viral strategies for inhibiting or evading these pathways have evolved.
Basic virology
Nipah virus at 20
This week I attended the Nipah Virus International Conference in Singapore, marking the discovery of the virus 20 years ago. It€™s an opportune time to recall the events around the emergence of this deadly pathogen.
A Vaccine for Every Cold
by Gertrud U. Rey It is cold outside. My throat is scratchy, I can’t stop sneezing, and I have a runny nose. These are the typical symptoms of a human rhinovirus (HRV) infection, better known as the common cold. The average adult suffers from two to four colds a year, while the average child can …
An ancestral vector improves on this year€™s model
Adenovirus associated virus (AAV) vectors are being increasingly used for gene therapy because they are not pathogenic in humans and persist for long periods in certain cell types. Currently 120 gene delivery clinical trials with these vectors are in progress, and two have been approved: Luxturna to treat a rare form of blindness, and another …
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Viruses That Jump Around
by Gertrud U. Rey Australian koalas are currently being invaded by koala retrovirus A (KoRV-A), a virus that causes an AIDS-like immunodeficiency and makes infected koalas more susceptible to cancers and opportunistic infections such as chlamydia.
Phages corkscrew along bacterial flagella
Viruses that infect eukaryotic cells typically bind to a plasma membrane receptor to initiate the reproduction cycle. Attachment of bacteriophages to bacterial cells is more diverse. Some attach to bacterial outer membrane proteins, while others attach to appendages such as pili or flagella. How viruses move from the flagella to the bacterial cell surface is …