Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Transformation of ordinary cells into insulin-makers improves symptoms of diabetes

Scientists in the U.S. have successfully transformed ordinary cells into insulin-producing cells in a living mouse and thereby improved the symptoms of diabetes.

28 Aug 2008

Human rights should be focus of efforts to fight HIV/AIDS worldwide, editorial says

The U.S. should shift its policy on fighting HIV/AIDS to a "fight for basic human equality, providing a basis for more realistic outreach," a Daytona Beach News Journal editorial says.

28 Aug 2008

Genetically manipulated virus could prevent mosquitoes from transmitting malaria, study says

A genetically manipulated version of densovirus could prevent Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes from transmitting malaria, according to a study published last week in PLoS Pathogens, the New York Times reports.

26 Aug 2008

Population Services International HIV/AIDS program reaches out to prisoners in Mexico

Population Services International has created HIV/AIDS awareness programs inside five Mexican prisons to address myths surrounding the disease and prevent its spread, the New York Times reports.

26 Aug 2008

Hand foot and mouth disease rife in Singapore

According to reports in the media, Singapore is facing a possible outbreak of Hand Foot and Mouth disease (HFMD).

26 Aug 2008

Breakthrough discovery may lead to new drugs to fight bird flu, other epidemics

Researchers at Rutgers University and The University of Texas at Austin have reported a discovery that could help scientists develop drugs to fight the much-feared bird flu and other virulent strains of influenza.

25 Aug 2008

Mosquitoes stay away from DEET because they hate the smell!

According to scientists in the U.S. the reason why the insect repellent DEET works so well is because mosquitoes don't like the smell.

25 Aug 2008

Hunt for baby denied HBV shot

Authorities in New South Wales, Australia, continue to search for a couple who have refused to have their newborn baby immunised against hepatitis B.

25 Aug 2008

Malaria researchers discover new mosquito virus

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Malaria Research Institute have identified a previously unknown virus that is infectious to Anopheles gambiae-the mosquito primarily responsible for transmitting malaria.

24 Aug 2008

Hendra virus claims life of Queensland veterinarian

The deadly Hendra virus has claimed the life of yet another victim, this time a human one.

20 Aug 2008

Hendra horse virus scare puts another vet in hospital

The Australian Hendra horse virus is still causing concern since the initial outbreak in July as a female veterinarian who euthanised a racehorse infected with the potentially deadly virus is now being monitored in hospital after an accidental needle stick injury.

20 Aug 2008

Bacterial pneumonia caused most deaths in 1918 influenza pandemic

The majority of deaths during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 were not caused by the influenza virus acting alone, report researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Instead, most victims succumbed to bacterial pneumonia following influenza virus infection.

19 Aug 2008

Mosquitoes smell DEET and stay away

Spray yourself with a DEET-based insect repellent and the mosquitoes will leave you alone. But why? They flee because of their intense dislike for the smell of the chemical repellent and not because DEET jams their sense of smell, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.

18 Aug 2008

Researchers uncover attack mechanism of illness-inducing bacterium found in shellfish

An infectious ocean-dwelling bacterium found in oysters and other shellfish kills its host's cells by causing them to burst, providing the invader with a nutrient-rich meal, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

18 Aug 2008

Antibodies to 1918 flu pandemic may provide means to tackle bird flu threat

Scientists in the United States have discovered that elderly survivors of the original 1918 flu pandemic, still have immunity to the virus.

18 Aug 2008

Psychological stress and how it might affect allergy sufferers

A new study here shows that even slight stress and anxiety can substantially worsen a person's allergic reaction to some routine allergens.

14 Aug 2008

Portable test for bird flu promises to save many lives

An easily portable device which tests for bird flu in humans promises to save lives by cutting the time it takes to spot potentially lethal cases down to a few hours.

14 Aug 2008

Poverty, population movement contributing to spread of HIV in Sudan

Poverty and the movement of people displaced by war have contributed to an increase in the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Sudan, United Nations and Sudanese health officials said on Sunday, adding that a lack of data is hindering efforts to get an accurate picture of the disease in the country, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports.

13 Aug 2008

Study to look at health care system trust among Hispanics with HIV

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in September will begin a two-year study to determine whether a lack of trust of the U.S. medical system is a factor behind a higher mortality rate among Hispanics with HIV/AIDS, the Winston-Salem Journal reports.

13 Aug 2008

Rare case explains why some infected with HIV remain symptom free without antiretroviral drugs

AIDS experts at Johns Hopkins say they have compelling evidence that some people with HIV who for years and even decades show extremely low levels of the virus in their blood never progress to full-blown AIDS and remain symptom free even without treatment, probably do so because of the strength of their immune systems, not any defects in the strain of HIV that infected them in the first place.

12 Aug 2008