We found coronaviruses in UK bats — so far the danger’s minimal but we need to know more about viruses that can spread to humans: Agami Photo Agency/Shutterstock Most emerging infectious diseases are caused by zoonotic pathogens – viruses and bacteria which circulate in wild and domestic animals but are also capable of infecting humans. …
Thousands of unknown viruses discovered in baby poo – why this is not necessarily a bad thing: An international team of scientists who spent five years studying the poo of 647 Danish babies found something astonishing. The nappy samples contained 10,000 species of virus – ten times the number of bacterial species in the same …
Polio: leading virologist offers a beginner’s guide to the different viruses and vaccines: Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua via Getty Images On 17 March 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that health officials in Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had detected cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus. The WHO said the Burundian government had declared the detection …
COVID, bird flu, mpox – a virologist on why we’re seeing so many viruses emerge: Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock From the widespread outbreak of mpox (formerly called monkeypox) in 2022, to the evolving bird flu situation, to recent cases of Marburg virus in Equatorial Guinea, COVID isn’t dominating the headlines as much as it used to. Instead, …
Do viruses play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s? Uncharted Brain podcast part 3: The herpes virus: could it play a role in Alzheimer's disease? Scott Camazine / Alamy Stock Photo There are many competing theories about what causes Alzheimer’s disease. For more than 30 years, Ruth Itzhaki has been accumulating evidence that viruses …
My work investigating the links between viruses and Alzheimer’s disease was dismissed for years – but now the evidence is building: Shutterstock/Jorm S This article is part of the Insights Uncharted Brain series. There are many competing theories about what causes Alzheimer’s disease. Here, Ruth Itzhaki reflects on a career dedicated to one of the …
COVID, flu, RSV – how this triple threat of respiratory viruses could collide this winter: Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock As the days get shorter and the weather colder in the northern hemisphere, health officials have warned of a perfect storm of infectious respiratory diseases over the winter months. Outbreaks of seasonal diseases like influenza and respiratory syncytial …
The unusual ways viruses and parasites use their cell membranes to spread – and how scientists are fighting back: Red onion skin cells seen through a microscope. Claudio Divizia/Shutterstock Cell membranes make up the exterior of all cells and are a basic structure found in most living organisms. But they can also help parasites survive …
Here’s what happens when two very different respiratory viruses infect the same cell – new study: Influenza virus particles. Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock Right now, there’s just one virus on everyone’s minds: SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. But humanity is plagued by many respiratory viruses, such as influenza A (IAV) and respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV), which …
Bees, mites and viruses: assessing the risk to South African crop pollinators: Mite on a bee. E. Villalobos The world’s bees face a major threat from deformed wing virus, a pathogen transmitted by the parasitic varroa mite. It is responsible for causing the death of millions of colonies in the US, Europe and Asia. The …
Researchers unlock the secrets of fungal viruses: why it matters: Fungal viruses have been important in reducing the impact of fungal diseases on chestnuts in Europe. Aygul Bulte/Shutterstock In the past year the world has been overwhelmed with rapidly emerging, important and fascinating information regarding SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The pace of …
Graphene could one day be used to make quick, reliable tests for viruses like SARS-CoV-2: Graphene is sensitive down to the single molecular level. Shutterstock/Rost9 Graphene is a layer of carbon only one atom thick. Since it was first isolated in 2004, it has found applications in strengthening materials, accelerating electronics, and boosting performance in …
South Africa in the news: US rushes to catch up in the race to detect mutant viruses: Despite its world-class medical system and its vaunted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. fell behind in the race to detect dangerous coronavirus mutations.: “South Africa” – BingNews Update providing on US Marshal shot in Baltimore: …
South Africa in the news: US rushes to catch up in the race to detect mutant viruses: Despite its world-class medical system and its vaunted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. fell behind in the race to detect dangerous coronavirus mutations.: “South Africa” – BingNews Update providing on US Marshal shot in Baltimore: …
With all the focus on coronavirus, let’s not forget the other respiratory viruses: Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock With coronaviruses taking over our news feeds – and lives – you may be fooled into thinking it’s the only virus affecting humans at the moment. But it’s important to remember that there are many viruses, especially respiratory viruses, that …
Multiple sclerosis: some patients may already hold the key to protecting the brain against viruses: In patients with MS, the body's immune system attacks the nerve cells. adike/ Shutterstock Usually our immune system protects us from harmful microbes such as bacteria or viruses. It does this either by directly attacking a microbe, or producing an …
Five techniques we’re using to uncover the secrets of viruses: ffikretow/Shutterstock Viruses are often termed “the invisible enemy”. They aren’t visible with the naked eye, or even by using a standard optical microscope. So how do we know they exist or what they look like? There are biochemical methods, such as the ones used to …
Bacteria and viruses are travelling the world on highways in the sky: Jag_cz/Shuttestock Microbes are the truly dominant group of lifeforms. These invisible pieces of biogenic matter have been running Earth’s affairs for billions of years. Plants and animals popped up as the by-products of microbial mergers relatively recently in our planet’s history. Understanding microbes …