Virus News and Research

RSS

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.

Common bread fungus mutates its own DNA to fight virus-like infections

Organisms attempt to halt their DNA from mutating, but researchers have discovered that a common fungus mutates its own DNA as a means to fight infections.

23 Jun 2020

Antibody and RNA testing can help track SARS-CoV-2 virus

SARS-CoV-2 is usually tracked by two types of tests, reverse transcriptase PCR (rt-PCR) and antibody tests.

23 Jun 2020

Tongue microbes could help diagnose heart failure

Microorganisms on the tongue could help diagnose heart failure, according to research presented today on HFA Discoveries, a scientific platform of the European Society of Cardiology.

23 Jun 2020

White Paper: Separation and characterization of viruses and antibodies

Postnova Analytics have published an informative new white paper that details how multi-detector Asymmetrical Field Flow Fractionation (AF4) and Electrical AF4 (EAF4) techniques are transforming the separation and characterization of viruses and antibodies.

From Postnova Analytics 23 Jun 2020

Study shows how viruses steal genetic signals from hosts to expand their own genomes

Scientists have demonstrated that a large class of viruses, such as the influenza viruses, expand their genomes by stealing genetic signals from their hosts.

19 Jun 2020

Using cellular nanosponges to soak up SARS-CoV-2

Scientists are working overtime to find an effective treatment for COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

19 Jun 2020

‘Cultured meat’ will prevent zoonotic diseases such as that which may have caused COVID-19

Meat alternatives that are already at an advanced stage of development could be the solution to the high socioeconomic impact of zoonotic diseases.

From Biotech Foods 19 Jun 2020

Study calls for more research on bacteriophages involved in plant health

In an individual’s own gut and in marine environments, bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, play an important role in the regulation of microbiome.

17 Jun 2020

Study shows how viruses evade antiviral defenses

According to a new study, researchers have identified a novel antiviral defense system that can possibly be used for treating several viral infections.

17 Jun 2020

Researchers identify antibody cocktail with potential to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine evaluated several human antibodies to determine the most potent combination to be mixed in a cocktail and used as a promising anti-viral therapy against the virus that causes COVID-19.

17 Jun 2020

COVID-19 Antibody Tests: How Reliable Are They?

With stay-at-home orders expiring around the world, many hope that COVID-19 antibody testing will help businesses and institutions reopen safely.

17 Jun 2020

Combination drugs for COVID-19 show promise in laboratory tests

Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 7.4 million people have been infected, and more than 410 000 have died. As yet, there is no treatment or vaccine for the disease.

16 Jun 2020

Skeletal muscles help to keep the immune system functional in chronic diseases

In the fight against cancer or chronic infections, the immune system must be active over long periods of time.

16 Jun 2020

BCG vaccine elicits trained immunity in humans

A tuberculosis vaccine developed 100 years ago also makes vaccinated persons less susceptible to other infections.

16 Jun 2020

Potent human antibodies protect against SARS-CoV-2 in animal tests

A team led by Scripps Research has discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, when tested in animals and human cell cultures.

16 Jun 2020

Interconnected mycobacteria stay alive longer

The tuberculosis pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis can protect itself better when combined and thus stay alive longer in the air.

15 Jun 2020

Baylor researchers uncover a novel mechanism that triggers cellular immune response

Viruses and other disease-causing microbes influence the type of immune response their hosts will develop against them. In some cases, the predominant response involves antibodies, proteins made by the immune system that specifically recognize parts of the invading microbe and mediate its destruction.

12 Jun 2020

A protein that helps to fight viruses can also inhibit lung tissue repair

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have found that a protein which is initially helpful in the body’s immune response to a virus, can later interfere with the repair of lung tissue.

12 Jun 2020

Lungs' immune cells can be activated more easily than previously thought

A significant site of damage during COVID-19 infection is the lungs. Understanding how the lungs' immune cells are responding to viral infections could help scientists develop a vaccine.

12 Jun 2020

Researchers identify a new subset of cells involved in immune response against hepatitis B

For the first time, researchers at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research have identified and described a new and unique subset of human cells that are involved in the immune response against hepatitis B (HBV) infection. The discovery could help develop new treatments for HBV and inform future vaccine design.

10 Jun 2020