Virology News
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Virology News
Topical news snippets about viruses that affect people.  And other things. Like Led Zeppelin. And zombies B-)
Curated by Ed Rybicki
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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 16, 2012 4:16 AM
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Video: Intranasal Norovirus VLP vaccine demonstrating clinical efficacy in Phase I/II Trial - Vaccine Nation - Strategy and innovation in vaccines

Video: Intranasal Norovirus VLP vaccine demonstrating clinical efficacy in Phase I/II Trial - Vaccine Nation - Strategy and innovation in vaccines | Virology News | Scoop.it
The presentation covered:
Phase I/II randomized, double blind, multi-center, placebo-controlled safety and efficacy study designed to evaluate the norovirus monovalent GI.1 VLP vaccine versus placebo

Results from the Norovirus vaccine proof-of-concept, multi-center challenge study

Ongoing clinical study of an intramuscular bivalent formulation of norovirus vaccine candidate

 

Of course, they don't mention you can make it in plants too....

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 15, 2012 10:09 AM
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Bird flu news / bird flu in poultry - Latest news and information on bird flu, avian influenza

Catch up with the latest bird flu news from across the globe with our daily bird flu updates...

 

Great site to follow avian flu

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 15, 2012 4:51 AM
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PLoS ONE: Modelling the Wind-Borne Spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus between Farms

PLoS ONE: Modelling the Wind-Borne Spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus between Farms | Virology News | Scoop.it

A quantitative understanding of the spread of contaminated farm dust between locations is a prerequisite for obtaining much-needed insight into one of the possible mechanisms of disease spread between farms. Here, we develop a model to calculate the quantity of contaminated farm-dust particles deposited at various locations downwind of a source farm and apply the model to assess the possible contribution of the wind-borne route to the transmission of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus (HPAI) during the 2003 epidemic in the Netherlands.

 

Atmospherics and physics meets viruses....

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 15, 2012 4:45 AM
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More must be done to prevent hepatitis C transmission amongst HIV positive gay men - - - Press Releases - News & Media - National AIDS Trust - NAT

NAT has launched a report, ‘HIV and Hepatitis C Co-infection’, which looks at hepatitis C co-infection among HIV positive men gay men and the UK’s response to this growing health challenge...

 

Treat one, and another pops up.  Roll on the HCV vaccine!

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 15, 2012 2:03 AM
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More Doctors 'Fire' Vaccine Refusers

More Doctors 'Fire' Vaccine Refusers | Virology News | Scoop.it
Pediatricians fed up with parents who refuse to vaccinate their children out of concern it can cause autism or other problems increasingly are firing such families from their practices, raising questions about a doctor's responsibility to these...

 

Unethical, possibly, but stupid people are their own worst enemies.  Trouble is, they extend it to their children.

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 14, 2012 3:36 PM
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Nature News Special : Mutant flu

Nature News Special : Mutant flu | Virology News | Scoop.it

Scientists have created a form of the H5N1 avian flu virus that is transmissible between mammals, raising fears that it could trigger a human pandemic if it escapes from the lab - either through accidental release or as part of a bioterror attack. As debate rages over how much of the research should be published, and whether there is sufficient oversight of such work, you can follow all Nature's coverage of the issue here.

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 14, 2012 10:37 AM
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PLoS ONE: Adverse Events following 12 and 18 Month Vaccinations: a Population-Based, Self-Controlled Case Series Analysis

PLoS ONE: Adverse Events following 12 and 18 Month Vaccinations: a Population-Based, Self-Controlled Case Series Analysis | Virology News | Scoop.it

Using the self-controlled case series design we examined 271,495 12 month vaccinations and 184,312 18 month vaccinations to examine the relative incidence of the composite endpoint of emergency room visits or hospital admissions in consecutive one day intervals following vaccination....

 

There are significantly elevated risks of primarily emergency room visits approximately one to two weeks following 12 and 18 month vaccination.

 

HOWEVER [Ed]:

Given the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine in eliminating both measles and rubella, and the highly infectious nature of these diseases, high vaccination coverage is essential. The diseases that the vaccines are preventing are not benign and vaccination can eliminate many of the serious sequelae of these infections [20]. Complications from measles include otitis media (7–9% of cases), pneumonia (1–6% of cases), encephalitis (1 per 1,000–2,000 cases), subacute sclerosing panecephalitis (1 per 100,000 cases), and death (1 per 3000 cases) [3], [21]. Further studies attempting to predict which children develop post-vaccination reactions, as well as determining the effectiveness of prophylactic treatment with antipyrectics prior to the high risk period for symptom development are warranted.

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 14, 2012 10:20 AM
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Small Things Considered: It’s Raining Viruses!

Small Things Considered: It’s Raining Viruses! | Virology News | Scoop.it
by Merry Youle

It’s true! Each year it rains viruses, more than a trillion of them per acre over thousands of forested acres in the USA.

 

Imagine that: they'll be spraying live bacteria next...oh, wait!  They do!!

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Suggested by Chris Upton + helpers
February 13, 2012 3:36 PM
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Death-rate row blurs mutant flu debate : Nature News & Comment

Death-rate row blurs mutant flu debate : Nature News & Comment | Virology News | Scoop.it
Even if a 59% mortality rate for H5N1 is too high, the virus could still cause a flu pandemic more serious than that of 1918.
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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 13, 2012 5:54 AM
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Virology Journal | Full text | Abrogation of contaminating RNA activity in HIV-1 Gag VLPs

"HIV-1 Gag virus like particles (VLPs) used as candidate vaccines are regarded as inert particles as they contain no replicative nucleic acid, although they do encapsidate cellular RNAs."

 

In light of HPV VLPs being flagged as containing HPV DNA, this is interesting as it gives an idea of how to get rid of the NA in the HIV Pr55Gag particles.  Plus, my lab wrote it.

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 13, 2012 2:51 AM
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Protein knocks out HIV by starving it of raw materials

Protein knocks out HIV by starving it of raw materials | Virology News | Scoop.it

Washington, Feb 13 (IANS) A protein knocks out the most virulent form of HIV by starving it of the raw materials it needs to reproduce, in order to protect our immune cells, a study reveals.

 

...and this may be relevant for other viruses, like herpesviruses...

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 13, 2012 2:30 AM
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70% of oral cancers now traced to HPV [virus]

70% of oral cancers now traced to HPV [virus] | Virology News | Scoop.it
An estimated 7% of American teens and adults carry the human papilloma virus in their mouths, an infection that puts them at heightened risk of developing cancer of the mouth and throat, researchers say.

 

Of course, a goodly number of NON-Americans do, too...B-)

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 11, 2012 10:22 AM
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FDA Information on Gardasil – Presence of DNA Fragments Expected, No Safety Risk

FDA Information on Gardasil – Presence of DNA Fragments Expected, No Safety Risk | Virology News | Scoop.it

"The FDA has recently received inquiries regarding the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA fragments in Gardasil and is aware that information related to this issue is on the internet."

 

The thing they don't mention is that there is probably OTHER yeast-derived DNA present as well, seeing as the VLPs are made in yeast - and that the HPV DNA is probably present in very low amounts detectable only by PCR

 

Picture courtesy of Russell Kightley Media

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 16, 2012 1:47 AM
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MicrobiologyBytes » Blog Archive » First RNA virus-encoded miRNAs

MicrobiologyBytes » Blog Archive » First RNA virus-encoded miRNAs | Virology News | Scoop.it
Well, not really an RNA virus, given that it has a DNA stage to the lifecycle - but possibly the smallest virus genome known to make miRNAs?

Thanks AJC!
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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 15, 2012 4:54 AM
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Human Testing Of New HIV-Vaccine

Human Testing Of New HIV-Vaccine | Virology News | Scoop.it
Scientists from the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital and Antwerp University have tested a new 'therapeutic vaccine' against HIV on volunteers.

 

The next wave of HIV vaccines: we have so many HIV-infected people alive because of ARVs, that other interventions are starting to be seriously trialled.

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 15, 2012 4:49 AM
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Weighing Baby Vaccine Risks: Potential Dangers of Vaccines | Inhabitots - StumbleUpon

A pretty reasonable overview of the pros and cons of vaccinating children - which manages to be mostly pro.

 

As it should be.

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 15, 2012 4:38 AM
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Book Review: Virolution

Carl Zimmer reviews Frank Ryan's Virolution: The Most Important Evolutionary Book Since Dawkins' Selfish Gene.

 

"We are part virus. This bizarre yet inescapable fact has been revealed over the past 30 years, as scientists have spelunked their way through the human genome and encountered stretches of DNA with the telltale chemical signatures of viruses."

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

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Suggested by Kerry Gordon
February 15, 2012 1:44 AM
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Mammals Made By Viruses | The Loom | Discover Magazine

Mammals Made By Viruses | The Loom | Discover Magazine | Virology News | Scoop.it
A Planet of Viruses | If not for a virus, none of us would ever be born.In 2000, a team of Boston scientists discovered a peculiar gene in the human genome.

 

Thanks Kerry!

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 14, 2012 10:39 AM
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India, US aim to develop single-shot vaccine for Foot & Mouth Disease by 2030 - The Times of India

India, US aim to develop single-shot vaccine for Foot & Mouth Disease by 2030 - The Times of India | Virology News | Scoop.it
In its effort to eradicate the deadly Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) in animals by 2030, India has joined hands with the US to jointly develop a new-age single-shot vaccine.

 

...the new recombinant clone adenovirus virus base vaccine will be sturdier, require less cold storage and be more effective than the present vaccine.

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 14, 2012 10:27 AM
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Decision time for researchers of deadly bird flu | Reuters

LONDON/GENEVA (Reuters) - When 22 bird flu experts meet at the World Health Organisation (WHO) this week, they will be tasked with deciding just how far scientists should go in creating lethal mutant viruses (Decision time for researchers of deadly...
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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 13, 2012 3:42 PM
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Almost 800 adverse reactions to swine flu vaccine identified - The Irish Times - Mon, Feb 13, 2012

Almost 800 adverse reactions to swine flu vaccine identified - The Irish Times - Mon, Feb 13, 2012 | Virology News | Scoop.it
THE SWINE flu vaccine has topped the list of drugs responsible for the largest number of suspected adverse reactions, new figures show.

 

...followed by (in third place) the HPV vaccine, then other childhood vaccines.  But "Most of these were relatively mild, such as localised swelling, gastrointestinal problems and flu-like symptoms."

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 13, 2012 6:04 AM
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Some African Sex Workers Are Naturally HIV Resistant

Some African Sex Workers Are Naturally HIV Resistant | Virology News | Scoop.it
HIV-resistant sex workers in Africa have a weak inflammatory response in their vaginas – a surprise for researchers, who were expecting the contrary considering the women’s high exposure to the virus.
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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 13, 2012 5:49 AM
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Baculovirus GP64-Mediated Entry into Mammalian Cells

Baculovirus GP64-Mediated Entry into Mammalian Cells | Virology News | Scoop.it

"These results suggest that cholesterol in the plasma membrane, dynamin- and clathrin-dependent endocytosis, and macropinocytosis play crucial roles in the entry of viruses bearing baculovirus GP64 into mammalian cells."

 

And VLPs: see next one....

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 13, 2012 2:33 AM
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Vaccine urged as bird virus spreads

Vaccine urged as bird virus spreads | Virology News | Scoop.it
THE deadly virus sweeping through Melbourne's pigeons has been confirmed for the first time in other species, renewing urgent calls for a vaccine.

 

"the paramyxovirus" - WHICH paramyxovirus??!!  We should be told....

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Scooped by Ed Rybicki
February 13, 2012 2:26 AM
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Health bosses: We overreacted to airport flu scare

Health bosses: We overreacted to airport flu scare | Virology News | Scoop.it
Health authorities have admitted to overreacting to a health scare at Auckland Airport but say it's better to be safe than sorry.

 

It's going to happen more often, people...I remember flying around Canada during the SARS breakout, and cringing and trying not to breathe every time the guy behind me coughed.

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