When more than one influenza A virus subtype is circulating in humans, as has been the case since 1977, there are several possible outcomes. The viruses might co-circulate, one virus might out-compete another, or co-infection of cells with two viruses can lead to the production of genetically distinct viruses by the process of reassortment of …
Pandemic H1N1 influenza virus outcompetes seasonal strains in ferrets Read More »
Of the many questions that I receive about influenza, one of the most common is “when will swine flu return to the US?”. In other words, when will the 2009 pandemic H1N1 strain, first recognized in humans in April 2009, emerge for the 2009-2010 influenza season? “Return” is probably not the correct word to use, …
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dick Despommier, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit On episode 48 of the podcast “This Week in Virology”, Vincent, Dick, Alan and Rich revisit a vaccinia virus lab accident and viral vaccines produced in plants, then talk about an iPhone app to track infectious diseases, flying foxes, and an inhaled measles vaccine. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV048.mp3″] Click …
This week I had the pleasure of joining Chris Montera and his friends on “EMS Garage”, a weekly podcast for Emergency Medical Services professionals. We discussed basic information about the 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1 strain such as transmission and immunization plans, and what EMS personnel can do to help prevent the spread of infection. It …
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has released its recommendations on the use of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine. Here is my summary of the salient points. The report begins with information on who is contracting pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza. The median age of persons with laboratory-confirmed infections in the United States is …
There has been a great deal of discussion about the use of adjuvants to improve the immunogenicity of vaccines against the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza strain. What effect do these compounds have on the immune response? Adjuvants are compounds added to vaccines that stimulate the immune response. They are often used when the antigen is …
