Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

China culls 33,000 ducks to contain bird flu outbreak

Authorities in China say a suspected outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus has been discovered among ducks in an outlying district of the southern city of Guangzhou.

17 Sep 2007

Canadian woman at risk from handling bat with rabies

Health authorities in Canada are searching for a woman who took an injured bat to a Toronto Wildlife centre.

17 Sep 2007

Chronic fatigue syndrome linked to common stomach virus

A new study has provided some clues to the cause of the mystery illness called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

17 Sep 2007

Foot and mouth far from over in Britain

The foot and mouth crisis in Britain is far from over with the discovery of more cases at another farm in Surrey.

17 Sep 2007

Pregnancy appears to cut risks for HIV-infected women

Women with HIV infection who become pregnant have a lower risk of progression to AIDS and death, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center report.

13 Sep 2007

Different HIV rates among gay men and straight people not fully explained by sexual behavior

Differences in sexual behaviours do not fully explain why the U.S. HIV epidemic affects gay men so much more than straight men and women, claims research published ahead of print in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

13 Sep 2007

Chronic fatigue syndrome linked to enteroviruses

Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as ME (myalgic encephalitis), is linked to a stomach virus, suggests research published ahead of print in Journal of Clinical Pathology.

13 Sep 2007

Virus experts step closer to treatment for hepatitis C

Nine hundred of the world's hepatitis C experts are meeting in Glasgow this week to discuss the latest research into the disease at the 14th International Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus and Related Viruses.

13 Sep 2007

Forces unite to tackle latest outbreak of Ebola in the Congo

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says another outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least five people.

12 Sep 2007

Ultraconserved non-coding RNAs may be important in human cancer

Research here shows that an obscure form of RNA, part of the protein-making machinery in all cells, might play an important role in human cancer.

12 Sep 2007

Customized virus kills brain tumor stem cells that drive lethal cancer

A tailored virus destroys brain tumor stem cells that resist other therapies and cause lethal re-growth of cancer after surgery, a research team led by scientists at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the Sept. 18 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

12 Sep 2007

HIV patients with declining platelet counts appear to be at increased risk for HIV-associated dementia

Therapies leading to longer life for HIV patients have paradoxically increased the prevalence of this condition. Identifying biological markers for the development of HIV–associated dementia is critical both for diagnosing the disorder and for understanding its underlying mechanisms.

11 Sep 2007

Brooklyn woman infected with West Nile virus

According to health officials in New York a 41-year-old woman from Brooklyn has become the year's first known human case of the West Nile virus in New York State.

10 Sep 2007

Poorly maintained drains the culprit in British foot-and-mouth outbreak

An official report into the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Surrey, England has found that the source was most likely a leaking drain on the nearby Pirbright laboratory site.

10 Sep 2007

Soy isoflavone genistin may reduce a baby's susceptibility to rotavirus infections

The soy isoflavone genistin--at concentrations present in soy infant formula-- may reduce a baby's susceptibility to rotavirus infections by as much as 74 percent, according to a University of Illinois study published in September's Journal of Nutrition.

10 Sep 2007

New insights into the complexity of HIV/AIDS

Three related papers published in the Sept. 1 edition of The Journal of Immunology provide key new insights into the complexity of HIV/AIDS. Don Sodora, Ph.D., a principal investigator in SBRI's Viral Vaccines Program who recently joined SBRI from the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center, is senior author on one of three papers that collectively show CD4 T-cell depletion, a critical symptom of AIDS, is likely a part of a multifaceted scenario that triggers disease rather than the only cause.

10 Sep 2007