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A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that can reproduce only inside a host cell. Viruses infect all types of organisms: from animals and plants, to bacteria and archaea. Since the initial discovery of tobacco mosaic virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, more than 5,000 types of virus have been described in detail, although most types of virus remain undiscovered. Viruses are ubiquitous, as they are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth, and are the most abundant type of biological entity on the planet. The study of viruses is known as virology, and is a branch of microbiology.

Viruses buried in marsupials' DNA may help protect against future infections

Fossils of ancient viruses are preserved in the genomes of all animals, including humans, and have long been regarded as junk DNA. But are they truly junk, or do they actually serve a useful purpose?

From The University of New South Wales (UNSW) 9 Sep 2021

Advanced lab-on-a-chip optical biosensors offer rapid and efficient COVID-19 diagnosis

Without the prospect of herd immunity on the immediate horizon, speedy detection for COVID-19 remains imperative for helping to curb the pandemic. Point-of-care testing that can provide immediate results is an urgent need.

8 Sep 2021

Stem cell transplantation leaves no scars in the DNA of transplanted cells

Stem cell transplants do not lead to changes in the DNA of the donor cells. That's according to a new study, which provides important evidence for the safety of this procedure.

8 Sep 2021

Study details replication and immune evasion of Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant

According to scientists, the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has likely spread through its capability to avoid neutralizing antibodies and its heightened infectivity.

8 Sep 2021

Study explores the efficiency of CasMINI, an engineered CRISPR-Cas system

A compact CRISPR-Cas system, known as CasMINI, can be employed for gene-therapy and cell-engineering applications as it is easier to deliver into cells.

7 Sep 2021

Researchers discover the role of a retrotransposon in horizontal memory transfer in roundworms

When an organism encounters a threat in its environment, it is to the species' advantage to warn others of the peril.

6 Sep 2021

Researchers develop a new system for rapid, sensitive measurement of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

A research team at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science in Japan has developed a diagnostic system that can rapidly and sensitively measure the amount of antibodies in the blood that can protect us from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

6 Sep 2021

Study details the role of PANoptosome in activating innate immune response

Immunologists discovered how immune sensors in infected cells organize and initiate an immune response to infections with living bacteria and viruses.

3 Sep 2021

Scientists develop lung organoids to imitate actual SARS-CoV-2 infection

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in early 2020 left researchers struggling to identify lab models of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

From UC San Diego 2 Sep 2021

Study reveals possibilities to disrupt dynamics and halt SARS-CoV-2 transmission

Researchers have simulated the transition of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein structure from the time it recognizes the host cell to its entry into the cell.

2 Sep 2021

Researchers demonstrate efficacy of vaccine candidates for various filoviruses

The efficacy of multiple vaccine candidates that target three filoviruses responsible for life-threatening infections to humans has been demonstrated in monkeys.

1 Sep 2021

Virus-infected cells endure long-term changes, says study

Scientists from the University of Basel observed in experiments with mice that cells can self-heal and eradicate viruses.

31 Aug 2021

Small synthetic molecules could one day cure or prevent COVID-19, herpes

In addition to antibodies and white blood cells, the immune system deploys peptides to fight viruses and other pathogens.

24 Aug 2021

Scientists isolate monoclonal antibodies against alphaviruses

A research group has isolated monoclonal antibodies that, in laboratory and animal studies, prohibited infection by alphaviruses.

From Vanderbilt University 24 Aug 2021

Accurate diagnosis of bacterial superinfection pneumonia could help avoid antibiotic overuse

Only 21 percent of patients with severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) have a documented bacterial superinfection at the time of intubation, resulting in potential overuse of antibiotics, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

23 Aug 2021

Researchers identify potent antibody that protects against a wide range of viral variants

The virus that causes COVID-19 today is not the same as the one that first sickened people way back in December 2019.

23 Aug 2021

Rare variants in the MX1 gene increase susceptibility to zoonotic H7N9 avian influenza

According to recent research, rare, single-nucleotide variants in the MX1 gene increase the human susceptibility to zoonotic H7N9 avian influenza infection.

23 Aug 2021

Researchers discover how glycans act as gateways for SARS-CoV-2 entry

Since the early days of the COVID pandemic, scientists have aggressively pursued the secrets of the mechanisms that allow severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to enter and infect healthy human cells.

From UC San Diego 20 Aug 2021

Genomic surveillance is vital to achieve effective mitigation and containment of COVID-19

Although the development and increasingly widespread availability of effective and safe vaccines provides the greatest hope for the future recovery from the increasingly devastating COVID-19 pandemic, genomic surveillance is emerging as a vital necessity to achieve effective mitigation and containment.

19 Aug 2021

COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody protects against delta variant

Despite causing a surge in infections this summer that has resulted in thousands of hospitalizations and deaths, the delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is not particularly good at evading the antibodies generated by vaccination, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

18 Aug 2021

Virus News and Research

Viruses buried in marsupials' DNA may help protect against future infections

Advanced lab-on-a-chip optical biosensors offer rapid and efficient COVID-19 diagnosis

Stem cell transplantation leaves no scars in the DNA of transplanted cells

Study details replication and immune evasion of Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant

Study explores the efficiency of CasMINI, an engineered CRISPR-Cas system

Researchers discover the role of a retrotransposon in horizontal memory transfer in roundworms

Researchers develop a new system for rapid, sensitive measurement of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

Study details the role of PANoptosome in activating innate immune response

Scientists develop lung organoids to imitate actual SARS-CoV-2 infection

Study reveals possibilities to disrupt dynamics and halt SARS-CoV-2 transmission

Researchers demonstrate efficacy of vaccine candidates for various filoviruses

Virus-infected cells endure long-term changes, says study

Small synthetic molecules could one day cure or prevent COVID-19, herpes

Scientists isolate monoclonal antibodies against alphaviruses

Accurate diagnosis of bacterial superinfection pneumonia could help avoid antibiotic overuse

Researchers identify potent antibody that protects against a wide range of viral variants

Rare variants in the MX1 gene increase susceptibility to zoonotic H7N9 avian influenza

Researchers discover how glycans act as gateways for SARS-CoV-2 entry

Genomic surveillance is vital to achieve effective mitigation and containment of COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody protects against delta variant

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