sialic acid

TWiV 363: Eat flu and dyad

On episode #363 of the science show This Week in Virology, The TWiVers reveal influenza virus replication in the ferret mammary gland and spread to a nursing infant, and selection of transmissible influenza viruses in the soft palate. You can find TWiV #363 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.

A single amino acid change switches avian influenza H5N1 and H7N9 viruses to human receptors

Two back-to-back papers were published last week that provide a detailed analysis of what it would take for avian influenza H5N1 and H7N9 viruses to switch to human receptors. Influenza virus initiates infection by attaching to the cell surface, a process mediated by binding of the viral hemagglutinin protein (HA) to sialic acid. This sugar …

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