A new member of the arenavirus family, Lujo virus, has been identified in patients who died during an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in late 2008. Sequence analysis reveals that Lujo is a new arenavirus, genetically distinct from other members of the family which includes Lassa virus. A patient with unexplained hemorrhagic fever was identified in …
Lujo virus, a new hemorrhagic fever virus from Southern Africa Read More »
The microneutralization assay is another technique used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine that some adults have serum cross-reactive antibodies to the new influenza H1N1 virus. Let’s explore how this assay works. Viral replication is often studied in the laboratory by infecting cells that are grown in plastic dishes or flasks, …
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that some adults have serum cross-reactive antibodies to the new influenza H1N1 virus. One of the techniques used to reach this conclusion is the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay. How does this assay work? To understand the HI assay, we must discuss the hemagglutination assay. Influenza virus particles …
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Friday that she is allocating $1 billion in existing funds to purchase large quantities of vaccine against the novel H1N1 influenza strain, and to conduct clinical trials this summer to determine if an adjuvant can be used. If this money is being taken away from …
US to redirect $1 billion to study adjuvant for influenza vaccine Read More »
Episode 33 of the podcast “This Week in Virology” was recorded before an audience at the ASM General Meeting in Philadelphia. Vincent, Alan, Dick, and Raul Andino discussed increased arterial blood pressure caused by cytomegalovirus infection, restriction of influenza replication at low temperature by the avian viral glycoproteins, first isolation of West Nile virus in …
Does previous exposure to influenza H1N1 viruses, either by infection or vaccination, provide any protection against infection with the new H1N1 influenza virus strains? The answer to this question might provide insight as to why over 60% of confirmed cases of influenza caused by the swine-like H1N1 viruses in the US are in 5- to …
Adults have cross-reactive antibodies to A/California/04/2009 (H1N1) Read More »
