So, naturalists observe, a flea Hath smaller fleas that on him prey; And these have smaller still to bite 'em And so proceed ad infinitum This verse is by Jonathan Swift, the 18th century Irish cleric and satirist. He wrote it about the time that Antonie van Leeuwenhoek began looking ...

An article in The Star of Malaysia illustrates why the public is often confused by stories about viruses in the popular press. The article reports that 'a four-man medical research team from the University Malaya Medical Centre has achieved a first by discovering an anti-virus for dengue fever from herbs'. ...

From KSL-TV - Salt Lake City, UT, USA: "More than 130 people have contracted the Norovirus, a stomach illness, at Yellowstone National Park this summer. The Park's concession workers and housekeepers were hit the hardest. "Norovirus is the same illness that sickened hundreds of cruise ship passengers earlier this year." ...

Viruses are distinct biological entities with the following properties: 1. A virus is an infectious, obligate intracellular parasite. 2. The genetic material of a virus is either DNA or RNA. 3. The genetic material of a virus enters a host cell and directs the production of the building blocks of ...

In October 2003, the Vatican published a paper claiming that the HIV virus can pass through latex condoms and cause infection. I have not seen the original paper, but have read about some of its points in various online newsreports, such as this one from BBC News World Edition. In ...