Influenza virus may be transmitted among humans in three ways: by direct contact with infected individuals; by contact with contaminated objects (called fomites, such as toys, doorknobs); and by inhalation of virus-laden aerosols. A recent study suggests that normal tidal breathing plays a substantial role in aerosol transmission.
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!
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 …
A new breed of vaccines is on the horizon: they replicate in one type of cell, allowing for their production, but will not replicate in humans. Two different examples have recently been described for influenza and chikungunya viruses. The influenza virus vaccine is produced by introducing multiple amber (UAG) translation stop codons in multiple viral genes. …
The TWiV gurus describe how to use an orthogonal translation system to produce infectious but replication-incompetent influenza vaccines. You can find TWiV #420 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV420.mp3″] Click arrow to play Download TWiV 420 (70 MB .mp3, 116 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV!
From the EIDA2Z conference at Boston University, Vincent, Alan and Paul meet up with Ralph Baric, Felix Drexler, Marion Koopmans, and Stacey Schultz-Cherry to talk about discovering, understanding, protecting, and collaborating on emerging infectious diseases. You can find TWiV #413 at microbe.tv/twiv, or watch or listen here. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV413.mp3″] Click arrow to play Download TWiV 413 (44 MB …
