Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Study may help find strategies to control mosquito populations

Every time you put on bug spray this summer, you're launching a strike in the ongoing war between humans and mosquitoes -- one that is rapidly driving the evolution of the pests. Scientists studying mosquitoes in various types of environments in the United States and in Russia found that between 5 and 20 percent of a mosquito population's genome is subject to evolutionary pressures at any given time -- creating a strong signature of local adaptation to environment and humans.

26 Jun 2015

AASLD creates online Recommendations for Testing, Managing, and Treating Hepatitis C

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, in partnership with the Infectious Diseases Society of America and in collaboration with the International Antiviral Society-USA, created online Recommendations for Testing, Managing, and Treating Hepatitis C in 2014 to aid practitioners treating patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV).

26 Jun 2015

New study reveals key part of Ebola virus life cycle at higher resolution than ever before

A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reveals a key part of the Ebola virus life cycle at a higher resolution than ever before. The research sheds light on how Ebola virus assembles—and how researchers might stop the often-fatal infection.

26 Jun 2015

Ebola diagnosis now possible within minutes

The Lancet has published details of a new point-of-care test for Ebola virus that is as sensitive as the conventional laboratory test, but provides results within minutes.

25 Jun 2015

Rising number of malaria deaths likely to exceed total number of Ebola deaths

Around 74000 fewer malaria cases than expected were seen at health facilities in Guinea in 2014 compared with pre-Ebola years, new research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal has found.

25 Jun 2015

Implementation of needle exchange programs can prevent HIV outbreaks in Indiana

Congress needs to immediately lift the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs to counter the threat of HIV outbreaks among injection drug users like the one that has seen an alarming number of new cases erupt in a single rural Indiana county.

25 Jun 2015

Gene-encoded protein may be effective in early detection of pancreatic cancer

A protein encoded by the gene glypican-1 (GPC1) present on cancer exosomes may be used as part of a potential non-invasive diagnostic and screening tool to detect early pancreatic cancer, potentially at a stage amenable to surgical treatment, according to a study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

24 Jun 2015

BiondVax Pharmaceuticals declares closing of over-allotment option granted to underwriters

BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing immunomodulation therapies for infectious diseases, today announced the closing of an additional and partial exercise of the over-allotment option granted to the underwriters.

24 Jun 2015

Computational models can forecast outbreak and spread of Ebola

The 2014 outbreak of Ebola virus disease, the worst since the disease first appeared in 1976, has claimed more than 11,000 lives in the West African nations of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and a handful more in nearby Nigeria and Mali.

24 Jun 2015

Generic heart disease drugs show promise in patients affected by Ebola virus

Generic medications used frequently in the management of heart disease patients also have the potential to bolster the immune systems of patients with Ebola virus and some other life-threatening illnesses, researchers report this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

23 Jun 2015

Purdue University-led study could lead to better treatments for people infected with MERS virus

A Purdue University-led team of researchers studying the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, have found molecules that shut down the activity of an essential enzyme in the virus and could lead the way to better treatments for those infected.

23 Jun 2015

Experimental vaccine candidate can stimulate immune system activity to prevent HIV infection

New research led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and The Rockefeller University shows in mice that an experimental vaccine candidate designed at TSRI can stimulate the immune system activity necessary to stop HIV infection. The findings could provide key information for the development of an effective AIDS vaccine.

22 Jun 2015

Planning for first clinical trial of MERS-CoV vaccine candidate now underway

Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have demonstrated, in a preclinical setting, the protective effect of a candidate vaccine directed against the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Planning for the first clinical trial is now underway.

22 Jun 2015

New book examines all aspects of HBV and HDV infections

Despite the availability of an effective vaccine for hepatitis B, hundreds of millions of people worldwide are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This virus can cause serious liver damage and cancer in chronically infected patients. Hepatitis delta virus (HDV), a satellite of HBV, can exacerbate the disease.

19 Jun 2015

Sequence of immunizations could be the promising route to HIV vaccine

The secret to preventing HIV infection lies within the human immune system, but the more-than-25-year search has so far failed to yield a vaccine capable of training the body to neutralize the ever-changing virus. New research from The Rockefeller University, and collaborating institutions, suggests no single shot will ever do the trick. Instead, the scientists find, a sequence of immunizations might be the most promising route to an HIV vaccine.

19 Jun 2015

Experimental AIDS vaccine candidate stimulates immune system to block infection in animal model

New research led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and The Rockefeller University shows that an experimental vaccine candidate can stimulate the immune system to block HIV infection in mice.

18 Jun 2015

Scientists create new model to study latent HIV infection in brain cells

Over 35 million people worldwide are currently infected by HIV. Antiviral therapies can keep the virus from multiplying. However, no drug can cure infection so far, because various cell types continue to carry the virus in a latent, i.e. quiescent, state. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have now established a model for latent HIV infection of brain cells.

18 Jun 2015

Key lessons from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in South Korea

The outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea is the subject of a fast-tracked editorial in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, written by Dr. Eskild Petersen and colleagues.

18 Jun 2015

Single difference in HIV's genetic code influences progression of disease

In a finding that furthers the understanding of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), researchers from Children's Hospital Los Angeles discovered two locations where a single difference in HIV's genetic code altered the way the virus infected the cell, thereby influencing the progression of the disease.

18 Jun 2015

Public health experts outline strategies for managing MERS-CoV outbreak

The ongoing outbreak in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) is an important reminder that the Middle East respiratory virus (MERS-CoV) requires constant vigilance and could spread to other countries including the United States. However, MERS can be brought under control with effective public health strategies, say two Georgetown University public health experts.

18 Jun 2015