Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

British man in coma after being bitten by mosquito in the U.S.

A man in Britain is in a coma after being bitten by a mosquito carrying a rare and potentially fatal virus.

8 Oct 2007

Reservoir of Marburg virus identified in a species of fruit bat

The Marburg virus, like its fearsome cousin Ebola, belongs to the Filoviridae family. It carries the name of the German town where it was first detected in 1967, after a mysterious epidemic had hit employees of the Behring laboratory.

8 Oct 2007

Dual action anthrax vaccine-antitoxin combination developed

The immune response generated in rats by the new agent protects against lethal toxin exposure after only one injection, and is faster and stronger than any currently available vaccine.

8 Oct 2007

Deep-frozen HIV specimens

The development of an HIV vaccine is hindered by the rapidity with which the virus mutates.

8 Oct 2007

Worrying bird flu mutations

According to researchers in the United States even thought the H5N1 bird flu virus has not transformed into a pandemic strain, it has nevertheless slowly evolved into a pathogen better equipped to infect humans.

7 Oct 2007

Medimmune announces phase 2 safety data for anti-RSV antibody

MedImmune, Inc. has announced results from two important studies presented at the 2007 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) 45th Annual Meeting adding to the body of knowledge about respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

4 Oct 2007

40,000 computers used to tackle bird flu in search for new anti-viral drug discoveries

Last month a collaboration of European and Asian researchers launched a new attack against the deadly bird flu virus, harnessing the combined power of more than 40,000 computers across 45 countries to boost the pace of anti-viral drug discovery.

4 Oct 2007

Bird flu on Saskatchewan farm results in culling of 50,000 chickens

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says chickens infected with a highly pathogenic H7N3 strain of avian influenza on a farm in Saskatchewan have all been destroyed.

4 Oct 2007

HPV testing and vaccinations may change scope of training for lab professionals

By now we have all heard or seen commercials promoting testing and vaccination of human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus with more than 100 strains, 30 of which are sexually transmitted.

3 Oct 2007

Prisons in Maryland have highest percentage of AIDS cases nationwide

Prisons in Maryland have the highest percentage of inmates living with AIDS nationwide, according to a study by the Department of Justice, the Baltimore Sun reports. The study is based on statistics from 41 states at the end of 2005.

2 Oct 2007

Rubella elimination advancing in the Americas

The First Lady of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez, today urged the countries of the Americas to redouble their efforts to eliminate rubella and congenital rubella syndrome as well as all other vaccine-preventable diseases.

2 Oct 2007

Winning the battle against deadly Ebola

The latest reports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) say health workers are slowly winning the battle against the deadly Ebola hemorrhagic fever.

2 Oct 2007

Another bird flu victim in Indonesia takes the death toll to 86

Though experts are investigating how the man contracted the virus, it is unclear how he could have come into contact with sick poultry as keeping backyard poultry has been banned by the Jakarta government since February.

2 Oct 2007

New way to fight hepatitis B

One in four people who are chronically infected with hepatitis B will die from its impact if untreated, but a team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine has identified the most cost-effective way of fighting this treacherous infection.

2 Oct 2007

Factor MIF a potential target for West Nile virus

Infection with West Nile Virus (WNV) can cause lethal encephalitis and there are currently no vaccines or specific therapeutics for use in humans.

2 Oct 2007

Depression, aging, and proteins made by a virus may all play role in heart disease

Researchers here have linked an increase in two immune system proteins essential for inflammation to a latent viral infection and proposed a chain of events that might accelerate cardiovascular disease.

2 Oct 2007

Second pathway behind HIV-associated immune system dysfunction identified

Researchers at the Partners AIDS Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (PARC-MGH) may have discovered a second molecular "switch" responsible for turning off the immune system's response against HIV.

1 Oct 2007

microRNAs may be key to HIV's ability to hide, evade drugs

Tiny pieces of genetic material called microRNA (miRNA), better known for its roles in cancer, could be a key to unlocking the secrets of how HIV, the AIDS virus, evades detection, hiding in the immune system.

1 Oct 2007

Majority of Europeans with hepatitis C remain undiagnosed

A report by the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN highlights the significant inconsistencies that exist in hepatitis C (HCV) diagnosis and treatment across Europe and beyond. In recognition of World Hepatitis Awareness Day, patient groups around the globe are united in their call for action.

1 Oct 2007

H5N1 able to pass through placenta to fetus and infect organs other than lungs in adults

The H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus can pass through the placenta of pregnant women to the unborn fetus, and can infect organs other than the lungs in adults. These are the conclusions of authors of an Article in The Lancet.

1 Oct 2007