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.

Study shows how plant viral protein disrupts cell division to promote its own propagation

Viruses are ever-present pathogens that lead to severe infectious diseases in humans as well as in agricultural crops.

14 May 2020

Novel tool distinguishes the cause of different types of blood clots

According to a study published in the eLife journal, a novel tool using cutting-edge technology has the ability to differentiate various types of blood clots depending on what caused them.

14 May 2020

New type of antigen-presenting immune cell discovered

With a discovery that could rewrite the immunology textbooks, an international group of scientists, including the teams of Bart Lambrecht, Martin Guilliams, Hamida Hammad, and Charlotte Scott (all from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) identified a new type of antigen-presenting immune cell.

12 May 2020

Gene therapy builds muscle mass, reduces fat in mice

Exercise and physical therapy often are recommended to help people who have arthritis. Both can strengthen muscle - a benefit that also can reduce joint pain.

12 May 2020

New study sheds light on enigmatic giant microbes

In the recent past, researchers have uncovered giant viruses in some of the most enigmatic locations in the world, from Siberia’s thawing permafrost to locations unknown under the Antarctic ice.

11 May 2020

Novel mechanism allows the immune system to control autoimmunity, cancer

Scientists at the Department of Infection and Immunity of the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) revealed a novel mechanism through which the immune system can control autoimmunity and cancer.

7 May 2020

Cholesterol Lowering Drugs Linked To Improved Gut Bacteria Composition In Obese People

The human gut microbiota consists of bacteria, fungi, and viruses constituting an inner chemical factory producing a multitude of microbial compounds.

7 May 2020

Scientists discover new anti-phage defense mechanism in certain bacteria

Researchers from Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, have discovered a new anti-phage defence mechanism found in some bacteria, which uses previously unknown features to protect their DNA.

6 May 2020

Virus-specific antibodies are generated by many newly discharged COVID-19 patients

A majority of the recently discharged patients who have currently recovered from the COVID-19 infection create virus-specific T cells and antibodies.

6 May 2020

Ziath supports Mental Health Charities during pandemic lockdown

Ziath Ltd - a manufacturer of scanners for reading 2D barcodes on the base of sample tubes, which are frequently used for processing Covid-19 samples, has announced support for mental health charities in the UK and the USA.

From Ziath Ltd 5 May 2020

How The Coronavirus Has Changed Air Quality

The change in air pollution in China as stay-at-home orders were put into place to stop the spread of the coronavirus has intrigued a meteorologist.

5 May 2020

Blood Filter May Calm The Cytokine Storm Of COVID-19

COVID-19 is causing organ destruction and death, and physicians are replacing the filter in a kidney dialysis machine to trap these tiny proteins.

5 May 2020

Researchers design novel cell culture model of human intestine to study COVID-19

Scientists have identified that the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, known to cause COVID-19, infects intestinal cells and undergo proliferation there.

4 May 2020

Discovery Of Antibody That Blocks Infection Of SARS-Cov-2

Researchers reported that they have identified a fully human monoclonal antibody that prevents the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus from infecting cultured cells.

4 May 2020

New rapid, sensitive test can detect COVID-19 cases

With the number of COVID-19 cases reducing in the United States and elsewhere, public health officials are attempting to understand the proportion of people who have been infected by coronavirus.

30 Apr 2020

Engineering A New Model For Respiratory Infection Treatment

When a person contracts a respiratory viral infection like COVID-19 or influenza, the immune system responds in a myriad of ways to eliminate the virus.

30 Apr 2020

Antibodies From Llamas Could Help In Fight Against COVID-19

The hunt for an effective treatment for COVID-19 has led one team of researchers to find an improbable ally for their work: a llama named Winter.

30 Apr 2020

Genome analyses explain the reemergence of bluetongue virus in Europe

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a livestock disease that can lead to devastating health and economic outcomes, but despite this fact, it can be challenging to establish its origin.

29 Apr 2020

Study develops a novel approach to fight against bunyaviruses

A study published recently in eLife reports that synthetic antibodies developed with bacterial superglue have the potential to protect against deadly viruses.

29 Apr 2020

Study shows how DNA mimic protein helps phages to attack their victims

A research team from the Severinov Laboratory at Skoltech, together with their collaborators from Israel and Switzerland, has analyzed a bacterial BREX defense mechanism that was poorly studied to date.

29 Apr 2020