Today I learned that a number of investigators refuse to share their samples of Zika virus with other laboratories. There are countless stories about scientists not sharing reagents because they want to be the first to make a discovery. This behavior allows them to publish first, secure more grant funding, garner invitations to speak at meetings, and generally stroke their egos. This …
Three reports have been published that together make a compelling case that Zika virus is causing microcephaly in Brazil. An epidemic of Zika virus infection began in Brazil in April 2015, and by the end of the year the virus had spread through 19 states, many in the northeastern part of the country. Six months after the start …
Can Zika virus be sexually transmitted? Perhaps in very rare cases, but the main mode of transmission is certainly via mosquitoes. That’s why I’ve shamelessly stolen a quote on this topic from Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University: Mosquito transmission is the highway, whereas sexual transmission is the byway. Sexual transmission cannot account for this …
The rapid spread of Zika virus through the Americas, together with the association of infection with microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome, have propelled this previously ignored virus into the limelight. What is this virus and where did it come from? History Zika virus was first identified in 1947 in a sentinel monkey that was being used to …
Do you want to learn virology? Every spring I teach a virology course at Columbia University, and this year’s version has just started. I record every lecture and put the videos on YouTube. Here is a link to the playlist: Virology Lectures 2016. Lecture #1, What is a Virus, is embedded below as a teaser. I strongly believe …
In four months, 155 countries will together switch from using trivalent to bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine. Will this change lead to more cases of poliomyelitis? There are three serotypes of poliovirus, each of which can cause paralytic poliomyelitis. The Sabin oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV), which has been used globally by WHO in the eradication effort, is …
The switch from trivalent to bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine: Will it lead to polio? Read More »
