Virology
The Berlin patient
By Vincent Racaniello
Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, an estimated 75 million people have been infected with HIV. Only one person, Timothy Ray Brown, has ever been cured of infection. Brown was diagnosed with HIV while living in Berlin in 1995, and was treated with anti-retroviral drugs for more than ten years. In ...
TWiV 300: So happy together
By Vincent Racaniello
Recording together for the first time, the hosts of the science show This Week in Virology celebrate their 300th recording at the American Society for Microbiology headquarters in Washington, DC, where Vincent speaks with Dickson, Alan, Rich, and Kathy about their careers in science. You can find TWiV #300 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
Poliovirus escapes antibodies
By Vincent Racaniello
Antibodies (purple) bound to poliovirus. Image credit: Jason Roberts Antigenic variation is a hallmark of influenza virus that allows the virus to evade host defenses. Consequently influenza vaccines need to be reformulated frequently to keep up with changing viruses. In contrast, antigenic variation is not a hallmark of poliovirus - the ...
TWiV 299: Rocky Mountain virology
By Vincent Racaniello
On episode #299 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent visits the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana and speaks with Marshall Bloom, Sonja Best, and Byron Caughey about their work on tick-born flaviviruses, innate immunity, and prion diseases. You can find TWiV #299 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and viruses
By Vincent Racaniello
Many people have a new awareness of the disease known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge initiated by the ALS Association. Fewer might know that retroviruses have been proposed to play a role in the development of the disease. I previously summarized a 2008 paper ...
