The suggestion that yearly immunization against influenza might make children more susceptible to serious disease during a pandemic has generated some controversy. Does this idea have merit? If you have read Being older is a good defense against 2009 H1N1 influenza, you are familiar with the concept of 'heterosubtypic immunity'. ...

The title of this post should not come as a surprise to readers of virology blog - it was shown in 1974 that zinc could interfere with replication of rhinoviruses (see "Zinc and the common cold"). I am referring to the result of my first experiment to study the mechanism ...

Why is the incidence of infection with 2009 H1N1 influenza highest among 5-24 year olds, and lowest in those over 65 years of age? Were the oldsters previously infected with a related influenza virus, or is there another explanation? The sera of individuals born in the early part of the ...

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dick Despommier, Alan Dove, and Cliff Mintz On episode #56 of the podcast 'This Week in Virology", Vincent, Dick, Alan, and Cliff answer questions from listeners on swine influenza origins, transmission, virulence, and vaccines, HIV and AIDS, and more. [powerpress url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/twiv/TWiV056.mp3"] Click the arrow above to play, ...

"Do Women Need Such Big Flu Shots?" suggests that we would have more doses of influenza 2009 H1N1 vaccine if we accounted for the biological differences between men and women. The idea is that women generate a stronger antibody response than men, and therefore require less vaccine. Does this idea ...