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Articles on Viruses

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Out of the lab and into real life. Mike Blyth

Africa should test smartphone microscope in the field

As a virologist working in the Gambia, the idea of a portable microscope that uses fluorescent imaging and can be attached to your smartphone to detect viruses and bacteria in the field sounds amazing…

Mammals could harbour 320,000 new viruses

At least 320,000 new and undiscovered viruses could be circulating throughout mammals and awaiting discovery. A study conducted…
Can’t handle the pressure. Stefanotshcki!

Exploding herpes virus blasts DNA into human cells

Some viruses are like tiny powerhouses. They are only nanometers in size, but their insides are jam-packed with DNA that is so highly pressurised that it explodes out during infection. Herpes simplex 1…
Helpful viruses get protected by decoy viruses in the bloodstream. Maddy Cow

Clouds of decoy viruses help cure genetic disease

The presence of foreign objects, like viruses, in our bloodstream is usually a bad thing. Evolution has created some extremely efficient immune cells that patrol the blood, seeking out material that should…
Gene expression signatures in blood can help distinguish between viral and bacterial causes of fever in young children. Shutterstock

Virus or bacteria? Using human genes to identify a fever’s cause

Scientists have discovered a new way of distinguishing between childhood fevers caused by viral infections and those caused by bacteria, according to a new study published today. The new finding paves…
The new strain (C4a) of enterovirus EV71 has infected hundreds of thousands mostly pre-school-age children in China, Cambodia and Taiwan. Image from shutterstock.com

Explainer: what is the new enterovirus or EV71?

A virus that can cause paralysis in children has been circulating in New South Wales during autumn and has recently spread to Victoria. Around 30 young children, mainly from Sydney’s northern and southeastern…
The novel coronavirus is in the same family as the SARS virus, but has some different biological features and is not as infectious. Image from shutterstock.com

Explainer: what is the new coronavirus?

Ten years ago the world was gripped by the threat of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which was caused by a coronavirus. The outbreak infected more than 8,000 people and around 800 died. Over…
Up to 80% of people who contract herpes remain completely asymptomatic. Image from shutterstock.com

Explainer: what is herpes?

When it comes to sexual health, the virus that causes those tingling blisters and angry sores of genital herpes is often the most reviled and feared. Most cases of genital herpes in humans are caused by…

Bacteria versus virus in oceanic war

The most abundant bacteria on record are also the hosts of the most abundant viruses, a result found by researchers from…

Genome of malaria parasite sequenced

Scientists have successfully sequenced the genome of the malaria-causing parasite, plasmodium vivax. The parasite shows the…
West Nile virus is responsible for a significant number of bird deaths in the United States. Ed Gaillard

Explainer: West Nile virus outbreak in the United States

A state of emergency has been declared in Dallas, Texas as local authorities battle an outbreak of the deadly West Nile virus. The state is on track to report record numbers of the mosquito-borne disease…
You can’t catch warts from toads, but you can from other people. DaveHuth

Monday’s medical myth: warts aren’t contagious

As a general practitioner (GP), I see a lot of warts. They’re a common skin complaint that most people experience at least one in their lives. Common warts are small dome-shaped lumps on the surface of…
The new Cedar virus is similar to Hendra and Nipah viruses but it does not cause illness in humans or animals. AAP

New virus could offer insight into Hendra and Nipah

Scientists have identified a new virus in Australian fruit bats. The Cedar virus – named after the suburb in the Gold Coast hinterland where it was first discovered – is part of the henipavirus family…
Outbreaks of disease killed thousands of chickens in Sydney and Melbourne between 2008 and 2010. Flickr/Hadleygrass

Vaccines for chickens have created virulent new viruses

Two chicken vaccines have recombined to produce more virulent viruses in Sydney and Melbourne, research has found, prompting the regulator to examine new controls over the approval and use of veterinary…
Vaccines are the public health measure that, after safe food and water, have saved most lives. Flickr/VCU CNS

Catch cancer? No thanks, I’d rather have a shot!

A couple of years ago, I contributed to a documentary with the intriguing title Catching Cancer. We don’t normally regard cancer as an infection, so it often comes as a surprise to learn that more than…

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