What determines susceptibility to virus infection?
We all have different susceptibility Individuals differ in their susceptibility to viral infections, and the clinical course of any patient infected with a virulent virus is ultimately determined by the complex patient-virus interaction. And this makes perfect sense....
The Mysterious Origin of Viruses
Viruses: Evolution’s cheaters Viruses can be considered genetic parasites that hijack the resources of their cellular hosts. They are evolution’s cheaters. And they are doing well with this strategy: viruses parasitize all forms of cellular life and are the most...
Hold tight and fire: plasmacytoid dendritic cells in action
Immunity vs. viruses In our evolutionary arm race against invading viruses, our body has evolved multiple defensive mechanisms. Together with anti-viral, cell-intrinsic innate response mechanisms, alternative or indirect pathogen-sensing pathways are also employed in...
When Flu hits you in the Heart
Why you’re at increased risk of heart attack when you have the flu The spike in deaths from cardiovascular disease during influenza epidemics was first recognized early in the 20th century, but the specific association of influenza with myocardial infarction was not...
Timeless TCID50: One solution to many viruses
This month we cover an old classic, the Tissue Culture Infectious Dose 50 assay, or TCID50. The TCID50 assay is used to quantify viral titres by determining the concentration at which 50% of the infected cells display cytopathic effect (CPE). As long as the virus of...
A small-molecule that mimicks anti-flu antibodies
A small-molecule that mimicks anti-flu antibodies Flu is a serious health problem: what are we doing about it? Flu makes millions of people ill and kills hundreds of thousands every year. At the moment, seasonal flu vaccines are the best available defence against...Page 2 of 2