Scientists and philosophers have long debated the trajectory of evolution. Some of the questions they consider include: is there a predictable direction for evolution, and if there is, what is the pathway? Are there evolutionary dead ends? Viruses are excellent subjects for the study of evolution: they have short generation times, high yields of offspring, …
While perusing the cleaning items at the supermarket last night, I spotted the words ‘Kills Flu Virus’ on a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner. Do toilets play a role in transmission of influenza? Influenza is an infection of the respiratory tract. The virus enters the tract in aerosols or by contact with saliva or other …
Many virologists, including myself, believe that the threat of avian H5N1 influenza is not only overestimated, but also distracts from serious consideration of other potential pandemic strains. In early 2005 I wrote about this problem (“Should we worry about avian influenza?) and suggested that we should pay attention to H2N2 strains as a potential pandemic …
This Week in Virology listener Raphael D. Fernandez, M.D. has kindly transcribed my conversation with Dr. Peter Palese that was aired on the podcast on 6 May 2009. You can download the transcript from the show notes page. Many thanks to Dr. Fernandez for the transcript!
In episode 35 of the podcast “This Week in Virology”, Vincent, Alan, Dick, and Richard Kessin talk about Lujo virus, a new arenavirus, influenza, WHO rewriting pandemic rules, adjuvants, and a brief history of microbiology. [powerpress url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV035.mp3″] Click the arrow above to play, or right-click to download TWiV #35 or subscribe in iTunes or by …
Now that we have discussed influenza pathogenesis in humans and the innate immune defenses, we can tackle the conclusion that type I IFN mediates the development of secondary bacterial pneumonia in mice. Secondary bacterial pneumonia occurs after the patient has begun to recover from influenza infection, and often influenza virus can no longer be isolated. …
Interferons and secondary pneumonia after influenza Read More »
