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Canine hepacivirus, a relative of hepatitis C virus

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Contemporary human viruses most likely originated by cross-species transmission from non-human animals. Examples include HIV-1, which crossed from chimpanzees to humans, and SARS coronavirus, which originated in bats. Since the 1989 discovery of hepatitis C virus (classified as a hepacivirus in the family Flaviviridae) the origin of the virus been obscure. During the characterization of …

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Not-so-similar fate of identical twins infected with HIV-1

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For extra credit in my recently concluded virology course, I asked students to summarize a virology finding in the style of this blog. I received many excellent submissions which I plan to post here in the coming months. by Amanda Carpenter In 1983, identical twin boys simultaneously received a contaminated blood transfusion immediately after birth, …

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Ila Singh finds no XMRV in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

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Since the first association of the retrovirus XMRV with chronic fatigue syndrome in 2009 in the US, subsequent studies have failed to detect evidence of infection in patients from the US, Europe, and China. These studies were potentially compromised by a number of factors, such as differences in patient characterization, geographic locations, clinical samples used, …

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Dickson Despommier’s Parasitic Diseases lectures

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Professor Dickson Despommier, co-host of TWiV and TWiP, and well known for his ideas about vertical farming, taught parasitology to medical, dental, and nursing students at Columbia University’s College of Physicians & Surgeons for 38 years. Below are videocasts of the six lectures from the final version of his course, Parasitic Diseases, which he taught …

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Retroviruses and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a fatal disorder of unknown etiology. The disease involves degeneration of motor neurons, leading to paralysis, respiratory failure, and death within five years. A viral etiology for ALS has been suggested but never proven. Retroviruses have been considered because they …

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