Arenaviruses are enveloped viruses (about 120 nm diameter) with a bi-segmented negative strand RNA genome. The typical image in electronic microscopy showing grainy ribosomal particles (“arena” in latin) inside the virions gave the name to this family of viruses.
Researchers reported the detection of arenavirus RNA from various species of bats sampled between 2007 and 2011 from Brazil.
In northwest Spain, scientists screened 526 wild small mammals for zoonotic viruses and identified several viruses, such as hantavirus, orthopoxvirus, and arenavirus.
A new preprint suggests a fruitful approach to develop such drugs based on biochemical and molecular modeling studies of the drug remdesivir.
A new study deals with the inhibitory activity of a membrane protein that has broad-spectrum activity against multiple viruses, showing that this is due to its effect on cytoplasmic lysine residue incorporation into replicating virions.
An international research group led by the University of Basel has developed a promising strategy for therapeutic cancer vaccines.
SARS-CoV-2 genome is three times larger than influenza genome. Both consist of NRA molecules that mutate when replicate.
A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 reports a novel engineered molecule based on human and other mammalian orthologues of ACE2 fused with the Fc part of the antibody. This molecule interacts more tightly with the viral receptor-binding domain (RBD) to constitute a powerful immunoadhesin that targets the virus for destruction.
There is currently no vaccine for the Lassa arenavirus, which causes Lassa fever. This hemorrhagic fever, endemic in West Africa, infects up to 300,000 people each year.
Viruses are masterful invaders. They cannibalize host cells by injecting their genetic material, often making thousands of copies of themselves in a single cell to ensure their replication and survival.
A research team from several institutions being led by the University of California San Diego has deciphered a key component behind a rising epidemic of pathogens that the World Health Organization (WHO) recently added to its list of critical emerging diseases.
Hemorrhagic fever viruses, so named for their ability to induce massive, and at times fatal, internal bleeding, captured the world's attention during the Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016 in West Africa.
Before Ebola virus ever struck West Africa, locals were already on the lookout for a deadly pathogen: Lassa virus.
Before Ebola virus ever struck West Africa, locals were already on the lookout for a deadly pathogen: Lassa virus. With thousands dying from Lassa every year-;and the potential for the virus to cause even larger outbreaks- researchers are committed to designing a vaccine to stop it.
For the first time, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have solved the structure of the biological machinery used by a common virus to recognize and attack human host cells.
Researchers have identified a novel virus that could be the source of a severe, sometimes fatal respiratory disease that has been observed in captive ball pythons since the 1990s. The work is published this week in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
The Ebola, Marburg and Lassa viruses are commonly referred to as emerging diseases, but leading scientists say these life-threatening viruses have been around for centuries.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today it has received a U.S. Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research Grant to advance the development of a low-cost, non-invasive surface electroporation (EP) delivery device and test its utility in combination with Inovio's novel synthetic DNA vaccines against viruses with bioterrorism potential, including hanta, puumala, arenavirus and pandemic influenza.
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have determined the atomic structure of a protein that the Lassa fever virus uses to make copies of itself within infected cells.
Three women died within one week of each other after they received diseased organs in transplant procedures at the Austin and Royal Melbourne hospitals according to an ongoing inquest.
Using chemical compounds found in a Japanese plant as a lead and the clever application of ultraviolet light, a Scripps Research Institute team has created a unique library of dozens of synthetic compounds to test for biomedical potential. Already, one of the compounds has shown great promise in inhibiting replication of HIV particles and fighting inflammation.