When my laboratory discovered the cell receptor for poliovirus in 1989, many new research directions were suddenly revealed – such as creating a mouse model for poliomyelitis. One application we did not think of was to use the receptor to screen samples of drinking water for the presence of viruses. Contamination of the water supply …
Influenza H5N1 virus frightens many because of the widely quoted case fatality ratio of >50%, which is based on the number of deaths among the fewer than 600 cases confirmed by the World Health Organization. Such fear is misguided, because it is likely that the fatality ratio is far lower. For example, studies of >7,000 …
More evidence for mild influenza H5N1 infections Read More »
Some viruses that infect bacteria (bacteriophages) deliver their DNA into the host cell with an amazing injection machine. The tailed bacteriophages (such as T4, illustrated) store their DNA in a capsid attached to a long tail tube that is surrounded by a sheath. At the bottom of the tube is a baseplate with a spike …
A consequence of the recent warm weather in the northeastern United States is the emergence of crocuses, an event that I documented at the TWiV Facebook page. A reader replied that it reminded her of the highly valued tulips with beautiful variegations produced by viruses. In 17th-century Holland patterned tulips such as the Semper Augustus (image) …
It is spring break for students at Columbia University, which means that my annual virology course is one lecture past the halfway point. The first eleven lectures addressed basic aspects of viral replication in cell culture, including virus entry into cells, genome replication, and assembly. From this point onwards we will be discussing viral infection of …
The fatality rate for human infections with avian influenza H5N1 is widely quoted at >50%, based on the number of deaths among the fewer than 600 cases confirmed by the World Health Organization. Wang, Parides, and Palese suggest that this number is an overestimate: …the stringent criteria for confirmation of a human case of H5N1 …
Evidence for influenza H5N1 infections in humans Read More »
