Yesterday the Chicago Tribune published my reaction to the four papers on the retrovirus XMRV published this week in the journal Retrovirology. I was quoted as saying “These four papers are probably the beginning of the end of XMRV and CFS”. I wish to retract this statement and explain my reasons for doing so. Early Monday a …
Since the first observations that the human retrovirus XMRV is associated with prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), new studies have been carried out to determine the role of the virus in these diseases. The results have been conflicting: XMRV (and related retroviruses) have been found in some patients, but not in others. Whether laboratory contamination …
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit On episode #112 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Rich review the making of a virulent poxvirus by insertion of the gene encoding IL-4, and severe 2009 H1N1 influenza due to pathogenic immune complexes. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV112.mp3″] Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to …
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, Ed Fussell, Andrea Leal, and Amy Sargent On episode #111 of the podcast This Week in Virology, the TWiV crew meets with members of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District at Florida Gulf Coast University to discuss dengue in Florida and how to control it. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV111.mp3″] Click the arrow …
During the replication of retroviruses, a double-stranded DNA copy of the viral RNA genome is synthesized by reverse transcription and integrated into the genomes of the infected cell. When retroviral DNA is integrated into the DNA of germ line cells, it is passed on to future generations in Mendelian fashion as an endogenous provirus. Until …
Influenza researcher Peter Palese visited yesterday and spoke about “Pandemic influenza: Past and Future”. A key part of his talk was a review of his efforts to produce a universal influenza vaccine which protects against all strains. He used the following graph to make the point that when influenza pandemic strains emerge, there is insufficient …
