Virus News and Research

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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.

Immune failure can cause serious COVID-19

While most people dying from COVID-19 are elderly, up to 5-10% of younger adults and children can also be seriously infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

15 Oct 2020

Study shows lasting immunity offered by SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

One of the most significant questions about the novel coronavirus is whether people who are infected are immune from reinfection and, if so, for how long.

14 Oct 2020

Research focuses on understanding production of memory B cells and immune responses

The current COVID-19 climate has made vaccines, antibodies, and immune responses topics of everyday conversation. Now, it isn't just immunologists who want to know how our bodies respond to re-infections months, years, or sometimes decades after an initial immune response.

From Osaka University 13 Oct 2020

Scientists identify molecular mechanisms of IFN responses in COVID-19 disease

SARS-CoV-2 continues to cause an ongoing pandemic as of October 2020, with over 35 million reported cases and over 1 million deaths around the world.

13 Oct 2020

Severe cases of COVID-19 resemble systemic lupus erythematosus

Scientists from Emory Health Sciences have been observing an intense stimulation of immune cells in severe cases of COVID-19 disease. This activation of immune cells is similar to acute flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—an autoimmune disease.

13 Oct 2020

Serum antibodies from recovered SARS patients neutralized SARS-CoV-2 in vitro

Antibodies in serum samples collected from patients infected with SARS-CoV during the 2003 outbreak effectively neutralized SARS-CoV-2 infection in cultured cells, according to a new study.

12 Oct 2020

Researchers test the effect of hydroxychloroquine versus favipiravir in SARS-CoV-2−infected hamsters

Virologists at the KU Leuven Rega Institute have been working on two lines of SARS-CoV-2 research: searching for a vaccine to prevent infection, and testing existing drugs to see which one can reduce the amount of virus in infected people.

12 Oct 2020

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 can survive on common surfaces for long periods of time

Researchers at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can survive for up to 28 days on common surfaces including banknotes, glass - such as that found on mobile phone screens - and stainless steel.

12 Oct 2020

Study offers new insights how the plant tips stay free of virus

Plants are able to keep growing indefinitely because they have tissues made of meristems--plant stem cells--which have the unique ability to transform themselves into the various specialized cells that make up the plant, dividing whenever appropriate and producing new cells of whatever type as needed.

9 Oct 2020

Study offers new treatment strategies for HIV

According to a new study, immune cells that can detect residual HIV-infected cells in patients living with HIV and undergoing ART continue to remain active.

8 Oct 2020

New method reveals structural data of membrane proteins in explicit detail

The human body contains a vast number of proteins that are collectively called the proteome.

8 Oct 2020

Urban air pollution may make COVID-19 more severe for some

In a recent study, researchers at Emory University found that long-term exposure to urban air pollution may have made COVID-19 more deadly.

8 Oct 2020

Scientists identify new ingredient that makes vaccine more effective

A number of vaccines contain ingredients known as adjuvants that make them more effective by triggering a more powerful immune response.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers identify a promising treatment for COVID-19 infection

An effective method for treating the 2003 SARS epidemic, also works on the closely associated SARS-CoV-2 virus.

5 Oct 2020

Neanderthal gene variant associated with higher risk of developing severe COVID-19

Research has revealed that a part of DNA, which causes a almost three times higher risk of developing severe COVID-19, is inherited from Neanderthals.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers identify small molecules that target a structure within SARS-CoV-2 genome

SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that is responsible for causing COVID-19. This pathogen has now crippled economies, health care systems, and everyday lives across the world.

5 Oct 2020

Study offers clues to optimize defense tactics against viruses

Science's pursuits of unraveling how human cells fight viral infections kicked into high gear in 2020 with the devastating emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

30 Sep 2020