ribavirin

Avoiding error catastrophe with recombination

RNA viruses exist close to their error threshold, the point beyond which additional mutations cause loss of infectivity. It has been suggested that RNA recombination prevents viruses from exceeding the error threshold – a situation called error catastrophe – but there has been little experimental support for this hypothesis. An analysis of poliovirus RNA synthesis …

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TWiV 555: Fidelity and the single cell

From ASM Microbe 2019, Vincent, Brianne and Calvin meet up with Craig Cameron to discuss his career and his work exploring RNA-dependent RNA synthesis and single cell virology. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 555 (46 MB .mp3, 76 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, Google Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Show notes at microbe.tv/twiv

Lujo virus, a new hemorrhagic fever virus from Southern Africa

A new member of the arenavirus family, Lujo virus, has been identified in patients who died during an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in late 2008. Sequence analysis reveals that Lujo is a new arenavirus, genetically distinct from other members of the family which includes Lassa virus. A patient with unexplained hemorrhagic fever was identified in …

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Pushing viruses over the error threshold

The capacity of RNA viruses to produce prodigious numbers of mutations is a powerful advantage. But remember that selection and survival must balance genetic fidelity and mutation rate. Many mutations are not compatible with viral replication. Consequently, if mutation rates are high, at some point accumulating base changes lead to lethal mutagenesis – the population …

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