As we discussed previously, attachment of all influenza A virus strains to cells requires sialic acids. However, there are a number of chemically different forms of sialic acids, and influenza virus strains vary in their affinity for them. These differences may determine which animal species can be infected. In the ...

In a recent press conference (transcript pdf), Dr. Keiji Fukuda of WHO made the following statement about infection with the new influenza H1N1 strains: The illness that we are seeing is generally consisting with seasonal influenza infection. That is the kind of symptoms that the milder cases are experiencing and ...

Here at virology blog we have been speculating for a week why sequences of the Mexican influenza virus isolates have not been available. Today we received a comment from Dr. Ruben Donis, who we quoted in a previous post. Dr. Donis wrote: Thank you for the nice vignette about the ScienceInsider ...

We've briefly considered the structure of influenza virions and how the viral RNAs can encode one or more proteins. Now we'll consider how influenza viruses multiply. Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites: they cannot reproduce outside of a cell. The production of new infectious particles must take place within a cell. ...

Here is an update on the global swine flu situation as of 4 May 2009, and comments on interesting unresolved questions. There have been laboratory confirmed cases of infection in over half of the United States (30), with a total of 226 cases and the one death in Texas last ...