by Gertrud U. Rey Satellite viruses lack one or more of the elements needed to replicate, and thus they depend on co-infection with a helper virus that can provide the missing components. In a well-known example of a satellite-helper system, Hepatitis D virus requires the presence of its helper Hepatitis B virus to make copies …
Most people associate viruses with illness and suffering, however, considering that the vast majority of viruses cause no illness and are actually beneficial to humans and the planet as a whole, this sentiment is largely misplaced.
William Summers joins the TWiV team to discuss some virology history, including the ever-changing concept of ‘virus’ and the contribution of phage research to the study of animal viruses. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 573 (69 MB .mp3, 113 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv
By Gertrud U. Rey Quorum sensing is a form of cell to cell communication in bacteria in which individual cells coordinate their behavior based on population density. In human terms, the word “quorum” means “the minimum number of people required to conduct business.”
The TWiV team travels to Texas A&M University, home of the Center for Phage Technology, where they speak with Ry Young and Jason Gill about their work on viruses that infect bacteria. <span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span><span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span>&lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: …
Not long after their discovery, viruses that infect bacteria – bacteriophages – were considered as therapeutic agents for treating infections. Despite many years of research on so-called phage therapy, clinical trials have produced conflicting results. They might be explained in part by the results of a new study which show that the host innate immune system …
