This Week in Virology

On episode #70 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, and Alan consider a broad spectrum antiviral against enveloped viruses, how a plant virus induces chemical signals in the host to maximize its spread, a new way to preserve viral vaccines at tropical temperatures, and the continuing story of XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome. Host links Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Alan Dove Links for this episode: Broad spectrum antiviral against enveloped viruses Chemical signals induced by a plant virus attract insect vectors to inferior hosts New vaccine technology to make viral vaccines stable at tropical temperatures Second UK study fails to find XMRV in chronic fatigue syndrome patients (pdf) Nature podcast with Simon Singh and petition (thanks André!) Letter on Wolbachia and bees (thanks Tom!) Dickson fishing in Argentina (jpg) Weekly science picks: Dickson Chemical Ecology - edited by Thomas Eisner and Jerrold MeinwaldAlan Scripps Center for Mass Spectrometry Vincent Folding@home (thanks Jesper!)

On episode #69 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Rich review recent outbreaks of mumps in the UK, US, and Israel, protection of mice against 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus by 1918-like and classical swine H1N1 vaccines, and a virus-like particle vaccine for chikungunya virus. Host links Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit Links for this episode: Mumps outbreak in Israel (ProMedMail and Eurosurveillance; thanks Lenn!) and Iowa Retraction of Wakefield vaccines- autism study Immunization with 1918-like and classical swine H1N1 influenza viruses protects against 2009 H1N1 strain Virus-like particle vaccine for chikungunya virus Image: antigenic differences in HA structures of 1918, Cal/09 and Bris/59/07 viruses Paul Ewald articles (thanks Atila!): one, two, and three, and a recent review of the hypothesis Weekly science picks: Rich John Moran Florida Nature PhotographyAlan Periodic Table of Videos Vincent The Protein Databank Educational Resources

On episode #68 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Rich are enthralled by movies of vaccinia virus plaque formation, then consider how repulsion of superinfection virions leads to rapid virus spread, and a therapeutic prostate cancer vaccine. Host links Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit Links for this episode: Rapid virus spread by repulsion of superinfection virions Movie of vaccinia virus plaque formation (.mov) Movie of GFP-vaccinia virus plaque formation (.mov) More amazing vaccinia virus movies Prostate cancer vaccine (Reuters article, original research) Weekly science picks: Rich Foundations of Virology - PowerPoint by Frederick A. Murphy (bio/interview pdf)Alan Spoonful of Medicine - Nature Medicine blog Vincent The Feynman Lectures (thanks Ilya!)

On episode #67 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Marc Pelletier talk about chronic wasting disease of deer caused by prions, blocking the semen-derived enhancer of HIV infection with surfen, and making green transgenic rabbits using a lentiviral vector. Host links Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Marc Pelletier Links for this episode: Chronic wasting disease in West Virginia Chronic wasting disease alliance and CDC webpage Semen-derived inhibitor of viral infection (SEVI) Surfen inhibits the action of SEVI Making green transgenic rabbits using simian immunodeficiency virus vector Science comedy (thanks Lucky Fractal!) Weekly science picks: Marc Association of Science-Technology Centers Passport ProgramAlan ZooniverseVincent Grand Rounds at the Mailman School of Public Health

On episode #66 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent and Dickson continue virology 101 with a discussion of information flow from RNA to DNA, a process known as reverse transcription, which occurs in cells infected with retroviruses, hepatitis B virus, cauliflower mosaic virus, foamy viruses, and even in uninfected cells. Host links Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier Links for this episode: Discovery of RNA tumor viruses Reverse transcriptase found by Temin and Baltimore (pdfs) Figures for this episode

On episode #65 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Matthew Frieman Vincent, Alan, and Matt discuss a project to study the RNA virome of Northeastern American bats, failure to detect XMRV in UK chronic fatigue syndrome patients, and DNA of bornavirus, an RNA virus, in mammalian genomes. Host links Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Matthew Frieman Links for this episode: Mist net Indigo Tunnel, Western Maryland Railway (jpg) Eric Donaldson and Amy Haskew with bat in holding bag (jpg) XMRV not detected in UK chronic fatigue syndrome patients (virology blog) Bornavirus DNA in the mammalian genome Arenavirus DNA can be integrated into the cell genome Rabid raccoons in Central Park, NYC

On episode #64 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Rich discuss ten compelling virology stories of 2009. Host links Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit Ten virology stories of 2009: Pandemic influenza: Swine-origin H1N1 virus (TWiV 36) XMRV, prostate cancer, and chronic fatigue syndrome (TWiV 50, 55) AIDS vaccine 'success' (TWiV 51) Colony collapse disorder (TWiV 46, 49) AIDS-like disease in wild chimps (TWiV 45) Diverse viral community in Antarctic lake (TWiV 58) Polyomavirus seroepidemiology in humans (TWiV 26) Poxvirus threatens UK red squirrels (TWiV 63) Polio spreads from Nigeria (TWiV 29) How mosquitoes survive Dengue virus infection (TWiV 21) Picture book on viruses for kids (Thanks Soraia!)

On episode #63 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Alan, and Rich talk about US government contract for freeze-dried smallpox vaccine, red squirrels in the UK threatened by poxvirus, and Marseillevirus, another DNA virus from amoebae built for comfort and speed. Host links Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, and Rich Condit Links for this episode: US Government awards contract to Bavarian Nordic for freeze-dried smallpox vaccine (pdf and clinical trial) UK red squirrels threatened by poxvirus: news article one and two,epidemiologyand experimental infection Another huge virus from amoebae (Wired article, PNASarticle, review article) Discussion on rabies bait vaccine at virology blog, and status of the program Viral diseases of humans (pdf)

On episode #62 of the podcast This Week in Virology, Vincent, Dickson, and Alan discuss STEP HIV-1 vaccine failure caused by the adenovirus vector, presence of West Nile virus in kidneys for years after initial infection, adaptation of the influenza viral RNA polymerase for replication in human cells, and the significance of the D225G change in the influenza HA protein. Host links Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, and Alan Dove Links for this episode: HIV vaccine failure probably caused by adenovirus vector used Persistence of West Nile virus in kidneys for years (JID and ProMedMail) (thanks, Lenn!) Adaptive strategies of influenza RNA polymerase for replication in humans New CDC estimates of 2009 H1N1 infection in US Receptor binding specificity of 2009 H1N1 virus Distribution of sialic acids in human respiratory tract

On episode 61 of the podcast "This Week in Virology", Vincent and Dick muse about the symbiotic bacterium,Wolbachia, that protects flies from viral infection, the origin of 2009 influenza H1N1 virus, and the lure of original antigenic sin. Host links Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier Links for this episode: Variation in antiviral protection mediated by different Wolbachia strains in Drosophila simulans Wolbachia induces resistance to RNA virus infections in Drosophila Wolbachia reduces blood-feeding success in Dengue mosquito Did 2009 H1N1 influenza come from a laboratory? Influenza original antigenic sin in mice but not in humans Dengue outbreak in Mexico (thanks Swiss compass!) Pig at Minnesota state fair infected with 2009 H1N1 (thanks Swiss compass!) Baby kissing pig (jpg) (thanks Swiss compass!)