Experimental vaccine offers long-term protection against Ebola
Scientists show, on the molecular level, how an experimental vaccine offers long-term protection against the disease.
Read moreVirology
Rare view into the formation of viruses
For the first time, researchers have captured images of the formation of individual viruses, offering a real-time view into the kinetics of viral assembly. The research provides new insights into how to fight viruses and engineer self-assembling particles.
Read moreAnalysis of HIV-1B in Indonesia illuminates transmission dynamics of the virus
Research into the molecular phylogeny (evolutionary history) of the HIV-1B virus in Indonesia has succeeded in illuminating the transmission period and routes for three clades (main branches of the virus). This includes a clade thought to be unique to Indonesia, as well as clades that spread from Thailand, Europe and America in the 1970s and 1980s.
Read moreHow the influenza virus achieves efficient viral RNA replication
Researchers offer new insights on how subunits of the influenza virus polymerase co-evolve to ensure efficient viral RNA replication.
Read moreHow AIDS pathogens multiply in the body
Scientists have now succeeded in using high-resolution imaging to make visible to the millisecond how the HI virus spreads between living cells and which molecules it requires for this purpose. The researchers provide direct proof for the first time that the AIDS pathogen creates a certain lipid environment for replication.
Read moreUnderstanding the genomic signature of coevolution
Limnologists and other researchers show that rapid genomic changes during antagonistic species interactions are shaped by the reciprocal effects of ecology and evolution.
Read moreWhy multipartite viruses infect plants rather than animals
Being in between living and non-living, viruses are, in general, strange. Among viruses, multipartite viruses are among the most peculiar — their genome is not packed into one, but many, particles. Multipartite viruses primarily infect plants rather than animals. A recent article uses mathematical and computational models to explain this observation.
Read moreEmerging parasitic disease mimics the symptoms of visceral leishmaniasis in people
A new study suggests that transmission of a protozoan parasite from insects may also cause leishmaniasis-like symptoms in people. The parasite, however, does not respond to treatment with standard leishmaniasis drugs.
Read moreThe flagellar hook: Making sense of bacterial motility
Researchers show how bacteria transmit motion from an inner motor to an outer tail through a flexible joint in the flagellum known as the hook. This finding could help in the fight against deadly bacterial infections. By better understanding how bacteria move, researchers may be able to improve disease prevention strategies.
Read morePotent antibody curbs Nipah and Hendra virus attack
A monoclonal antibody has been shown to impede the fusion machinery henipaviruses use to merge with the membrane of cells they are attempting to breach. The antibody halts the attack by blocking membrane fusion and the injection of the viral genome into the host cell. Researchers hope this discovery will pave the way toward preventing or treating Nipah or Hendra virus infections, which now have no vaccines or therapies for people. The main carriers are large bats called flying foxes.
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