Soon after the new influenza H1N1 strain emerged in April 2009, I began a series of blog posts on basic aspects of influenza virus replication and pathogenesis. The goal of this series is to provide information that will allow everyone to better understand the events surrounding emergence and spread of ...

My colleague Ian Lipkin has developed new methods to rapidly identify pathogens. At Pop!Tech 2008, he explained how an increased understanding of zoonotic diseases, together with advancements in diagnostic technology, are helping to detect the next emerging virus.

The influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) is the viral protein that attaches to cell receptors. The HA also plays an important role in the release of the viral RNA into the cell, by causing fusion of viral and cellular membranes. HA must be cleaved by cellular proteases to be active as ...

In the current episode of the Penn State University interview series called "Conversations from Penn State", Peter Hudson, who is Willaman professor of biology and director of Penn State's Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, discusses the dynamics of infectious diseases, their spread, and their transmission from animals to humans.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Eric O. Freed On episode 37 of the podcast "This Week in Virology " (TWiV), Vincent, Alan, and Eric Freed talk about vesivirus contamination of bioreactors, pandemic influenza, maximizing the effect of vaccination by targeting children, chikungunya virus, and open access scientific journals. [powerpress ...