The only thing we have to fear is fear itself – Franklin D. Roosevelt Why is there such widespread fear of avian H5N1 influenza virus? Why did Paul Keim, chair of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) say “I can’t think of another pathogenic organism that is as scary as this one”. What lead Donald …
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Alan Dove Vincent, Alan, and Rich review ten compelling virology stories of 2011. Please help us by taking our listener survey. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV164.mp3″] Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV 164 (60 MB .mp3, 99 minutes). Subscribe to TWiV (free) in iTunes , at the Zune Marketplace, …
The virologists who carried out the contentious experiments on influenza H5N1 transmission in ferrets have agreed to remove certain details from their manuscript, according to ScienceInsider: Two groups of scientists who carried out highly controversial studies with the avian influenza virus H5N1 have reluctantly agreed to strike certain details from manuscripts describing their work after …
A laboratory in the Netherlands has identified a lethal influenza H5N1 virus strain that is transmitted among ferrets. These findings are under review by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) to ensure that they do not constitute a threat to human health. Meanwhile both the popular and scientific press has been calling this …
After the eradication of smallpox in 1980, the World Health Organization called for destruction of known remaining stocks of the virus. The United States and Russia, which hold the known stocks of smallpox virus, have not destroyed their stocks. The WHO met in January 2011 to debate the future of smallpox, and a committee will …
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Grant McFadden On episode #124 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, Alan, Rich, and Grant discuss a tanapoxvirus protein that inhibits tumor necrosis factor, purging tumors with myxoma virus, and destruction of the last known stocks of smallpox virus. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV124.mp3″] Click the arrow above …
