A dairy cow in California is the fourth known American case of mad cow disease, which is caused by prions, infectious agents composed only of protein (the story hit the press the day after my lecture on this type of illness). Unlike viruses, prions have no nucleic acid and no protective coat. ...

On episode #180 of the science show This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Rich review association of an interferon-induced protein with severe influenza, and stabilization of HCV RNA by a microRNA. You can find TWiV #180 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.

When my laboratory discovered the cell receptor for poliovirus in 1989, many new research directions were suddenly revealed - such as creating a mouse model for poliomyelitis. One application we did not think of was to use the receptor to screen samples of drinking water for the presence of viruses. ...

On episode #31 of the science show This Week in Microbiology, Vincent, Jo, and Michael discuss an archetypal protein transport system in bacterial outer membranes, and evidence that gut microbial enterotypes might not fall into defined groups. You can find TWiM at microbeworld.org/twim.

On episode #179 of the science show This Week in Virology, Gertrud joins the TWiVoners to review how dengue virus infection of mosquitoes alters blood feeding behavior, and gene therapy as practiced by parasitoid wasps. You can find TWiV #179 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.