TWiV 441: Don’t ChrY for me influenza

The Beacons of Viral Education (aka the TWiVoners) reveal a cost of being a male mouse – the Y chromosome regulates their susceptibility to influenza virus infection. You can find TWiV #441 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 441 (72 MB .mp3, 119 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV!

Flu and the Y chromosome

Disease and death caused by influenza virus are greater in human females than in males. But disease is more common in males from birth through age 15, after which more females are affected. In mice, genetic variation in the Y chromosome controls susceptibility to influenza virus infection (link to paper). Increased susceptibility does not correlate …

Flu and the Y chromosome Read More »

Trial By Error, Continued: CMRC to Virology Blog: F**k Off!

by David Tuller, DrPH Well, not in those words, of course. It was all very polite. But that was the message. Here’s what happened. On Monday, I posted an open letter to the members of the board of the CFS/ME Research Collaborative. The letter involved the false accusation of libel that the CMRC’s deputy chair, …

Trial By Error, Continued: CMRC to Virology Blog: F**k Off! Read More »

Trial By Error, Continued: An Open Letter to the Board of the CFS/ME Research Collaborative

by David Tuller, DrPH To Members of the Board of the CMRC: Not long ago, at the annual conference of the British Renal Society, your deputy chair disseminated the false accusation that I had libeled her. As a corollary to that, she also disseminated the false accusation that Dr. Racaniello, the Columbia University microbiologist who …

Trial By Error, Continued: An Open Letter to the Board of the CFS/ME Research Collaborative Read More »

TWiV 440: I hardly noumeavirus

No problem not being nice to Dickson in this episode, because he’s absent for a discussion of a new giant virus that replicates in the cytoplasm yet transiently accesses the nucleus to bootstrap infection. You can find TWiV #440 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 440 (72 MB .mp3, 119 min) Subscribe …

TWiV 440: I hardly noumeavirus Read More »

A different kind of remote control

Among the multitudes of eukaryotic viruses with DNA genomes, some replicate in the cell nucleus, while others avoid the nuclear bureaucracy and remain in the cytoplasm. But biology is not always so rigid: a new giant virus has been found that replicates in the cytoplasm, where it seems to recruit components of the nuclear transcription machinery …

A different kind of remote control Read More »

Trial By Error: Norwegian Tabloid Covers Stupid Gulf War Illness/PEM Study; My Letter to Journal Editor on Bogus Claims

By David Tuller, DrPH Earlier this month, I wrote a post about a new study asserting that “exercise does not cause post-exertional malaise in Veterans with Gulf War Illness.” As I explained, the research, led by experts from the University of Wisconsin and published by the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, made no sense. Although …

Trial By Error: Norwegian Tabloid Covers Stupid Gulf War Illness/PEM Study; My Letter to Journal Editor on Bogus Claims Read More »

Trial By Error: UK Health Care Professionals Appeal to Health Secretary for Quick Action on Poor ME Care

By David Tuller, DrPH Tuesday, September 17th, was World Patient Safety Day. (I didn’t know that either.) In the UK, more than 200 physicians, nurses and other health care providers and professionals marked the occasion by issuing an appeal—in the form of a letter to Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care …

Trial By Error: UK Health Care Professionals Appeal to Health Secretary for Quick Action on Poor ME Care Read More »

Trial By Error: Bogus Claims in Study of Exercise and PEM in Gulf War Illness

By David Tuller, DrPH A recent study investigated a question no one seems to have been asking. That can be a good thing—if it’s a question that’s worth investigating. But that’s not the case here. The study, published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity and led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, was …

Trial By Error: Bogus Claims in Study of Exercise and PEM in Gulf War Illness Read More »

Trial By Error: Little Sign of CBT/GET Ideologues in News Coverage of Inquest and BBC Breakfast Segment on ME and Long Covid

By David Tuller, DrPH One interesting aspect of the recent inquest into the death of Maeve Boothby O’Neill was the widespread news coverage. Maeve died in October, 2021, in Exeter, UK, of malnutrition arising from her severe ME, as the coroner ruled a few weeks ago. During the two weeks of testimony, from July 22nd …

Trial By Error: Little Sign of CBT/GET Ideologues in News Coverage of Inquest and BBC Breakfast Segment on ME and Long Covid Read More »

Trial By Error: Post-Inquest Comments from Sarah Boothby, Maeve’s Mum

By David Tuller, DrPH During the inquest into the death of Maeve Boothby O’Neill, both of her parents refrained from making public statements about the proceedings. The inquest was held in Exeter, in southwest England, UK, from July 22nd till August 2nd. After the coroner, Deborah Archer, issued her findings–that Maeve died of malnutrition as …

Trial By Error: Post-Inquest Comments from Sarah Boothby, Maeve’s Mum Read More »

Trial By Error: A Deeper Dive into the Inquest’s “Findings and Conclusions”

By David Tuller, DrPH UPDATE: Sarah Boothby, Maeve’s mum, has commented on this blog. I have posted that comment here. ********** Last Friday, August 9th, assistant coroner Deborah Archer read in court her “findings and conclusions” in the inquest into the death of Maeve Boothby O’Neill, the 27-year-old woman from Exeter, UK. Three hospitalizations in …

Trial By Error: A Deeper Dive into the Inquest’s “Findings and Conclusions” Read More »

Scroll to Top