Here, we report that productive replication of Ebola virus is modulated by the c-Abl1 tyrosine kinase. Release of Ebola virus–like particles (VLPs) in a cell culture cotransfection system was inhibited by c-Abl1–specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) or by Abl-specific kinase inhibitors and required tyrosine phosphorylation of the Ebola matrix protein VP40. Expression of c-Abl1 stimulated an increase in phosphorylation of tyrosine 13 (Y13) of VP40, and mutation of Y13 to alanine decreased the release of Ebola VLPs.
My favourite "scare the children" virus, becoming better understood
Seeing as I have written an ebook on influenza that includes a short history of the 1918 pandemic, I have a rather keen interest in looking up things like case fatality rates, incidences and the like. I have also picked up on a rather worrying discrepancy in oft-quoted figures that just get recirculated without question, in serious and respected publications.
Current influenza vaccines predominantly produce antibodies targeting the viral hemagglutinin (HA). However, during natural infection, the body also produces antibodies targeting the viral neuraminidase (NA).
Malawi, which has one of the highest rates of the deadly HIV/AIDS infections, is on course to eradicate the virus, Jay Levy who co-discovered the AIDS virus 35 years ago said.
What if refilling a prescription was as easy as withdrawing money from an ATM? A South African tech company wants to make that possible. Its innovation, the Pharmacy Dispensing Unit, is being tested in Johannesburg, and health experts say it could provide a strong boost for the fight against...
Abstract.We predict vaccine efficacy with a measure of antigenic distance between influenza A(H3N2) and candidate vaccine viruses based on amino acid substitu...
HELP US TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THE ZIKA VIRUS... WHAT? Zika hit the headlines in 2015 as the newest tropical borne viral infection, while adults don't usually suffer severe after effects, the implications for pregnant women and their newborn babies are life-changing.
Spending on HIV/AIDS globally between 2000 and 2015 totaled more than half a trillion dollars, according to a new scientific study, the first comprehensive analysis of funding for the disease.
A research team led by UCL and Erasmus University has found a missing piece to the puzzle of why the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles can remain dormant for decades in human cells.
It's been almost 30 years since Salt-N-Pepa implored Americans to set their puritanical misgivings aside and talk about sex, and yet we still struggle with the subject; that fact is abundantly clear when you consider national HPV vaccination rates.
Background. Bleeding from the popular clean-shave ‘chiskop’ haircut was recently reported as prevalent in South Africa (SA), a country with 6.9 million HIV-infected people.
Objectives. To investigate the prevalence of barber hair clipper contamination with blood and HIV and hepatitis B viruses.
Methods. Fifty barbers from three townships in Cape Town, SA, were invited to participate. One clipper from each barber was collected immediately after it had been used for a clean-shave haircut. Each clipper was rinsed with phosphate-buffered saline and then submerged in viral medium. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify the blood-specific RNA marker haemoglobin beta (HBB), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HIV.
Results. The clean-shave haircut was the most common haircut requested by clients (78%). Of the clippers collected, 42% were positive for HBB, confirming detection of blood, none were positive for HIV, and 4 (8%) were positive for HBV. Two clippers (clippers 16 and 20) were positive on qualitative HBV PCR. HBV DNA from clipper 16 clustered with genotype A sequences from SA, India, Brazil and Martinique, while clipper 20 clustered with SA genotype D sequences. The clipper 20 sequence was identical to a subtype D sequence (GenBank accession AY233291) from Gauteng, SA.
Conclusions. This study confirms that there is significant contamination of barber hair clippers with blood and blood-borne viruses. Hepatitis B was detected with enough DNA copies to pose a risk of transmitting infection. Although HIV was not detected in this small study, the risk of transmission should be quantified. Further studies to investigate barber clipper sterilisation practices and whether the clean-shave hairstyle is an independent risk factor for HIV, HBV and hepatitis C virus infections are warranted. Public education on individual clipper ownership (as is the case with a toothbrush) should be advocated for clean-shave and blade-fade haircuts.
The question has been asked in literally hundreds of real scientific articles, and the answer keeps coming back that there is no link. But that doesn't stop one after another anti-vaccine pseudoscientist coming forward with pathetic evidence to try to "prove" that vaccines cause autism.
Our new study published in the International Journal of Men’s Health showed that circumcised men have a 4.5 times greater chance of suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED) than intact men, revealing what appears to be a significant acquisition...
The CRISPR/Cas9 system is an efficient genome-editing platform for diverse eukaryotic species, including plants. Recent work harnessed CRISPR/Cas9 technology to engineer resistance to geminiviruses. Here, we discuss opportunities, emerging developments, and potential pitfalls for using this...
The World Health Organisation on Thursday said Sanofi's vaccine against dengue should only be used after testing individuals to assess whether they could have been exposed before to the infection.
The Zika virus crisis exemplified the risk associated with emerging pathogens and was a reminder that preparedness for the worst-case scenario, although challenging, is needed. Herein, we review all data reported during the unexpected emergence of Zika virus in French Polynesia in late 2013. We focus on the new findings reported during this outbreak, especially the first description of severe neurological complications in adults and the retrospective description of CNS malformations in neonates, the isolation of Zika virus in semen, the potential for blood-transfusion transmission, mother-to-child transmission, and the development of new diagnostic assays. We describe the effect of this outbreak on health systems, the implementation of vector-borne control strategies, and the line of communication used to alert the international community of the new risk associated with Zika virus. This outbreak highlighted the need for careful monitoring of all unexpected events that occur during an emergence, to implement surveillance and research programmes in parallel to management of cases, and to be prepared to the worst-case scenario.
Scientists are edging closer to a long-term preventative HIV vaccine, new research suggests.A single injection protected monkeys against a version of the vir...
Previous studies have shown that Merck & Co.’s Ebola vaccine can act fast in human bodies and maintain an antibody response for at least one year. Now, a new study pushes that estimate to two years or more.
The influenza season in South Africa occurs in the winter months and is expected to start in the coming weeks. On average the season begins in the first week of June. However, in past years; the season has started as early as the last week of April and as late as the first week of July. A severe influenza season was experienced in the United States of America and Europe in the winter of 2017-2018. A severe season elsewhere in the world does not mean that South Africa will necessarily experience a severe season in 2018. The severity of a season is due to a combination of factors including the circulating influenza strains, previous immunity in the population and spectrum of underlying illnesses and age distribution of the population. The NICD monitors the progression and severity of the influenza season through its surveillance sites throughout the country to provide real time information on season progression. Annual influenza epidemics result in an estimated three to five million cases of severe illness, and about 290 000-650 000 deaths globally. In South Africa, influenza (commonly known as flu) kills between 6000-11,000 people every year. About half of these deaths are in the elderly, and about 30% in HIV-infected people. The highest rates of hospitalization are in the elderly (65 years and older), HIV-infected people and children less than 5 years old. Pregnant women are also at increased risk of hospitalization and death from flu infections. People with chronic illnesses like diabetes, lung disease, tuberculosis and heart disease are also at increased risk of being hospitalized from the flu. During the flu season in South Africa about 8-10% of patients hospitalized for pneumonia and 25% of patients with flu-like illness (fever and cough) will test positive for influenza. Vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent influenza. Getting the flu vaccine can reduce flu illnesses, visits to the clinics or to doctors rooms, missed work and school due to flu, as well as prevent flu-related hospitalizations. Vaccinating people with higher risk of severe flu directly protects them from flu infections. Vaccinating pregnant women has been shown to provide protection to both mother and baby during the flu season. HIV-infected adults without severely weakened immune systems also respond well to the vaccine. Vaccination is also recommended for individuals aged >=65 years and individuals with chronic illnesses like diabetes, lung disease, tuberculosis and heart disease. Influenza vaccine for the 2018 season is currently available at public health facilities and at pharmacies. Since it takes about two weeks after vaccination for protective antibodies to develop, it is recommended that people get vaccinated as soon as possible to ensure that they are protected before influenza season starts. The best time to get the flu vaccine is before the season starts (March-June) but getting it later will protect individuals during the rest of the season. Because influenza viruses are constantly changing and immunity from vaccine lasts for about a year, it is necessary to get vaccinated each year before the influenza season. The influenza vaccine that is licensed for use in South Africa covers three of the common influenza strains (influenza A(H3N2), influenza B and influenza A(H1N1)pdm 09). Based on the information on the influenza strains that were circulating during the 2017 Southern Hemisphere influenza season, the 2018 vaccine for the Southern Hemisphere has been changed (changes in influenza B and influenza A(H3N2) component of the vaccine). This means that the vaccine for the 2018 in South Africa will be different from the one which was used in the Northern Hemisphere for 2017/2018 season and the Southern Hemisphere 2017 influenza season. It is also essential to practice good hygiene by properly and frequently washing hands and protecting coughs and sneezes (coughing or sneezing into a tissue or an elbow) to help prevent the spread of seasonal influenza. People who have flu-like symptoms should stay at home to avoid infecting others. Detailed recommendations on target groups, dosages and contraindications for the 2018 can be accessed at http://www.nicd.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Influenza-guidelines-final_24_05_2017.pdf
New study reports that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)—best known for causing mono virus—also increases the risks for some people of developing seven other major diseases.
In the future, treating human papillomavirus (HPV) may be done with a microwave system. Tests with the device, a compact and portable applicator developed by Emblation Microwave, are underway and have yielded positive results thus far.
According to HPV experts from the University of Glasgow, it w
The full list of weapons used by bacteria against viruses is not known. A computational approach has uncovered nine previously unidentified antiviral systems, encoded by genes near known defence genes in bacterial genomes.
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