virology

Mosquito saliva enhances virus replication and disease

3 Comments / Basic virology, Information / By

Mosquito saliva, which is injected into the host as a mosquito probes for a blood vessel, contains a collection of chemicals which include anticoagulants to prevent blood clotting, vasodilators to keep blood vessels wide, and anesthetics to prevent us from sensing the mosquito. Saliva also contains components that enhance viral replication, dissemination, and pathogenesis by …

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TWiV 400: Harold ‘400’ Varmus, a scientist for all seasons

1 Comment / This Week in Virology / By

The TWiV team is together in New York City for a conversation with Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus about his remarkable career in science. You can find TWiV #400 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen/watch below. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV400.mp3″] Click arrow to play Download TWiV 400 (101 MB .mp3, 139 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV!

Antibodies aid dengue and Zika virus infection

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Flaviviruses are unusual because antibodies that cross-react with different viruses can enhance infection and disease. This property, called antibody-dependent enhancement or ADE, has been documented to occur among the four serotypes of dengue virus. It has implications for infection with or vaccination against Zika virus or dengue virus. Earlier this year (virology blog link) it was …

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TWiV 399: Zika la femme

This Week in Virology / By

The latest Zika virus news from the ConTWiVstadors, including a case of female to male transmission, risk of infection at the 2016 summer Olympics, a DNA vaccine, antibody-dependent enhancement by dengue antibodies, and sites of replication in the placenta. You can find TWiV #399 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV399.mp3″] Click arrow to play …

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A herpesvirus associated with female infertility

2 Comments / Basic virology, Information / By

Viruses that replicate in the male or female reproductive tract are considered to be potential causes of human infertility. Several herpesviruses have been implicated in male infertility, and now human herpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A) has been found in endometrial cells of women with unexplained infertility (paper link). HHV-6 was only recently discovered (1986) and is now known …

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