Tag Archives: virus

Scientists have isolated a new orthonairovirus from two patients showing acute febrile illness with thrombocytopenia and leukopenia after tick bite in Hokkaido, Japan. Transmission electron microscopy of YEZV particles negatively stained with 2% phosphotungstic acid. Image credit: Kodama et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-25857-0. Orthonairoviruses are tick-borne viruses in the genus Orthonairovirus, …

Diverse Strains of Smallpox Virus Were Widespread in Viking Age, New Study Shows Smallpox, caused by the variola virus, is one of the most devastating human diseases. Smallpox killed millions of people but drove Edward Jenner’s invention of vaccination, which eventually led to the annihilation of the virus, declared in …

A research team led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center scientist Prof. James Crowe, Jr., has isolated a human monoclonal antibody that in a mouse model ‘markedly reduced’ infection by the Zika virus. Transmission electron micrograph of Zika virus. Virus particles are 40 nm in diameter, with an outer envelope, and …

Biotechnologists have discovered some horrifying new consequences of lateral gene transfer: a virus that started making the toxin from black widow spider venom, all by itself. This might be the single combination humanity needed least. No matter what the permutation, viruses plus black widows add up to a whole lot …

Image copyright CDC If you’re suffering with projectile vomiting and watery diarrhoea, reach for your phone and post an update. No really – while it won’t ease your pain, a tweet or two could help researchers track the spread of the winter vomiting bug. The UK Food Standards Agency has …