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Articles on Viruses

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Imaging the proteins on the surface of HCV has been challenging because of the virus’s shape-shifting nature. Juan Gaertner/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Scientists uncovered the structure of the key protein for a future hepatitis C vaccine – here’s how they did it

Using a Nobel Prize-winning technique called cryo-EM, researchers were able to identify potential areas on the hepatitis C virus that a vaccine could target.
Healthy turkeys on a farm in West Newfield, Maine. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Bird flu has made a comeback, driving up prices for holiday turkeys

Hunters are warned to take precautions handling wild birds, and the virus can spill over to non-avian species, so no one should approach wild animals that appear ill.
Red mitochondria in airway cells become coated with green SARS-COV-2 proteins after viral infection: Researchers discovered that the virus that causes COVID-19 damages lungs by attacking mitochondria. (Stephen Archer)

How COVID-19 damages lungs: The virus attacks mitochondria, continuing an ancient battle that began in the primordial soup

COVID-19 causes lung injury and lowers oxygen levels in patients because the SARS-CoV-2 virus attacks cells’ mitochondria. This attack is a throwback to a primitive war between viruses and bacteria.
Some human coronaviruses cause seasonal colds or other mild symptoms. Others can be severe and even fatal. Jdidi wassim/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Some coronaviruses kill, while others cause a common cold. We are getting closer to knowing why

The enigmatic envelope protein seems to hold the key to understanding why some human coronaviruses cause more severe disease than others.
People catch La Crosse disease primarily from the bite of the eastern tree-hole mosquito – although two other species may also carry the virus. Nipol Plobmuang/EyeEm via Getty Images

La Crosse virus is the second-most common virus in the US spread by mosquitoes – and can cause severe neurological damage in rare cases

Not all cases of La Crosse disease affect the neurological system, but those that do can be severe and sometimes fatal – especially in children.
Critical-care patients in the emergency polio ward at Haynes Memorial Hospital in Boston in August 1955. Associated Press photo

Fears of a polio resurgence in the US have health officials on high alert – a virologist explains the history of this dreaded disease

Health officials say the new case of polio in New York state and the presence of poliovirus in the municipal wastewater suggests that hundreds more could already be infected with the disease.

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