On episode #209 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, Alan, and Kathy answer listener email about deformed wing virus, West Nile virus, FluMist, influenza in Canada, viruses and the tree of life, and more. You can find TWiV #209 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
There have been many interesting responses to my recent post, “Are you receiving the influenza 2009 H1N1 vaccine?” Some individuals have already been immunized or plan to do so shortly. Others are concerned about the safety and efficacy of the monovalent preparations. As pointed out recently in a Nature editorial, “Mass-vaccination campaigns…must take public concerns …
Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 vaccine: efficacy and safety Read More »
A new type of vaccine against influenza, made with virus-like particles, has been shown to protect ferrets from infection with the 2009 H1N1 swine-origin strain. What is a virus-like particle, and how is it produced? If you have been taking influenza 101, you know that new virus particles are produced in infected cells by budding. During …
The antibody response is crucial for preventing many viral infections and may also contribute to resolution of infection. When a vertebrate is infected with a virus, antibodies are produced against many epitopes on multiple virus proteins. A subset of these antibodies can block virus infection by a process that is called neutralization. Antibodies can neutralize viral infectivity …
