This Week in Virology

In episode 21 of This Week in Virology, hosts Vincent Racaniello, Dick Despommier, Alan Dove, and special guest Max Gottesman, discuss an unusual wasp-virus symbiosis, influenza transmission and absolute humidity, how mosquitoes survive Dengue virus infection, and viruses of bacteria. Links in the episode indlude: Unusual wasp-virus symbiosis Absolute humidity modulates influenza virus transmission, survival, and seasonality How mosquitoes survive Dengue virus infection Little Lambda, Who Made Thee? Structure of HK97 procapsid Science blog of the week: BioJobBlog by Cliff Mintz Science podcast pick of the week: Distillations - a weekly science podcast that brings you extracts from the past, present, and future of chemistry Science book of the week: The Life of a Virus by Andrea Creager

Vincent, Dick, Alan, and Matt Evans converse about TED, the Wakefield autism controversy, 99 rhinovirus sequences, Marburg in the USA, and hepatitis C virus.

Vincent and Alan discuss cap-snatching by the hantavirus N protein and the influenza virus endonuclease, HIV-1 and Ebola virus antagonism of tetherin, and influenza pneumonia.

Vincent, Dick, and Alan discuss adenovirus type 36 and obesity, new influenza antiviral drugs, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus of fish, and Ebola virus in pigs and pig farmers in the Phillipines.

Vincent, Dick, and Saul talk about discoveries in virology that have had a major impact on the field. Sem•i•nal (adjective): strongly influencing later developments. Note: There are two HPV vaccines on the market: Gardasil (quadrivalent, types 6, 11, 16, 18) and Cervarix (bivalent, types 16 and 18). Links for this episode: Gates Foundation donates to polio eradication effort. Testing a bivalent oral poliovirus vaccine in India. We played a clip from net@night episode 83. I wrote about Jonathan Swift’s ‘Animalcules’ on virology blog. Science blog of the week: Research Blogging Science podcast pick of the week: Boston Museum of Science podcast Science book of the week: The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher by Lewis Thomas

Vincent and Jeremy, in Saanen, Switzerland, review the 19th Challenge in Virology meeting, and implications of a new HIV-1 sequence from 1960 for the origin of AIDS. Links for this episode: NY Times article on Offit vaccine book. Nature paper on new 1960 HIV-1 sequence. Massive polio immunization in Pakistan. PLoS paper on T cell responses to HERVs in HIV-1 infection. Science blog of the week: Eye on DNA by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei Science podcast pick of the week: Persiflager’s Infectious Disease Podcast Science book of the week: Microbe Hunters by by Paul de Kruif

Vincent, Dick, and Alan converse about hantavirus spread by large deer mice, why the 1918 influenza virus replicates in the lower respiratory tract, measles in Europe, and the growing resistance of influenza virus to antivirals. Links for this episode: MMWR, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from CDC. Larger, older deer mice spread hantavirus. Viral RNA polymerase complex promotes optimal growth of 1918 virus in the lower respiratory tract of ferrets. Measles in Europe: an epidemiological assessment. Avian flu (H5N1) gaining resistance to antivirals. Times article on resistance to Tamiflu and analysis by virology blog. Angola widens border closure with DRC over Ebola. Solutions, the iPhone/iPod Touch app to calculate molar solutions. Vaccine, the iPhone/iPod Touch app to determine vaccination schedules. Science blog of the week: Molecule of the Day Science podcast pick of the week: Meet the Scientist by Merry Buckley Science book of the week: The Great Influenza by John M. Barry The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin - published 150 years ago.

Vincent and Alan discuss a viral upper respiratory tract infection, transmission of H5N1 influenza virus, death of an HIV denialist, and the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Links in this episode: PLoS Pathogens paper on transmission of H5N1 influenza virus. Ebola outbreak in DRC reported by ProMedMail. Death of HIV denialist. BioCrowd, a network for bioscientists. Molecules, the iPhone/iPod Touch app to display molecules. Science blog of the week: ViroBlogy Science podcast pick of the week: Astronomy Cast Science book of the week: The Cutter Incident by Paul A. Offit, MD

Vincent and Alan talk about President-elect Obama’s choices for his science advisors, SARS sensationalism, a new enteric picornavirus, and the top 10 virology stories of 2008. Obama’s science advisors (Yahoo story) CDC RSS feed on influenza PNAS paper on a new enteric picornavirus TWiV’s top 10 virology stories of 2008: 1. Nobel Prize in Medicine to Montagnier, Barré-Sinoussi, and zur Hausen 2. AIDS elite controllers partly explained 3. Cancellation of PAVE HIV-1 vaccine trial 4. Gut homing receptor for HIV-1 5. New Ebola strain 6. New mosquito virus 7. How mosquitoes survive virus infection 8. Mouse model for Chikungunya 9. Genome sequences of 150 avian influenza virus strains 10. Understanding the RS virus vaccine failure Science blog of the week: Aetiology Science podcast pick of the week: biobytes Science book of the week: Principles of Virology, 3rd Edition by Flint, Enquist, Racaniello, and Skalka.

Vincent, Alan, and Angela discuss Kuru, prions in milk, ancient lentiviruses found in the chromosomes of lemurs, a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine failure in the 1960s, and recent outbreaks of H5N1 influenza in chickens. Links for this episode: D. Carleton Gajdusek obituary in the NY Times. We forgot to mention that he won the 1976 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work on Kuru. PLoS Pathogens article on prions in sheep milk. PNAS article on endogenous lemur lentivirus Nature Medicine article on the failed respiratory syncytial virus vaccine. December 18 was the 100th anniversary of the discovery of poliovirus. Science podcast pick of the week: Skepticality. Science book of the week: Science Fictions: A Scientific Mystery, a Massive Cover-up and the Dark Legacy of Robert Gallo by John Crewdson.