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 …
It was my great honor to be selected as the Richard R Ernst Lecturer for 2022. The aim of the Richard R. Ernst Lecture is to strengthen the relationship and understanding between the sciences, society, and politics and to raise awareness for the questions and challenges our global society is facing today and will face in the future.
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 …
Several new lines of evidence suggest that Epstein-Barr virus infection may be a risk factor for the development of multiple sclerosis.
One aspect of virology that is confusing to students is the concepts of capsids and nucleocapsids. These two terms describe two different ways that viral nucleic acids and proteins are arranged in virus particles. The capsid (from the Latin capsa for box) is the protein shell surrounding the nucleic acid genome. Below are two different …
Intranasal administration with a single dose of a chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induces potent immune responses.
