Scientists still rely on a set of 19th century postulates to identify disease-causing organisms but more than 100 years of research shows why we need to move on.
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Articles on Viruses
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There are many ways of visualising scientific concepts, as we discovered when an artist got in touch about some of our work.
Around 75% of our faeces is made up of water. The other 25% is the good stuff, including bacteria, viruses and undigested food.
Part of the problem was a mismatch between the influenza strains circulating and the vaccine available. Here's how annual flu shots are formulated.
Polio can be circulating through a community long before anyone is paralyzed. Monitoring sewage for the virus lets public health officials short-circuit this 'silent transmission.'
Somewhere along our evolutionary path, we lost the ability to defend against hepatitis C. But not all humans lost this ability.
Just because you don't have the flu doesn't mean that your aren't teeming with viruses inside and out. But what are all these viruses doing, if they aren't making you sick?
New genetic knowledge about cane toads could give us the knowledge we need to throw some more roadblocks in front of this persistent invader as it marches across Australia.
Pandemic and bird flu viruses are more deadly than seasonal flu. Scientists may have finally discovered why.
A scientific question fascinates experts : under which conditions can bird flu virus be transmitted to humans by aerial particles, and what will be the consequences for those who aren’t immune?
Many people think green snot means you are really sick, or that you need antibiotics. Not true. Green snot is actually a sign that our immune system is working and that we are getting better.
Feral rabbits previously exposed to myxoma virus are more likely to be killed by rabbit haemorrhagic diease, meaning that these two biocontrol agents can become even more powerful when used in tandem.
Recent discoveries of ancient viruses are helping scientists understand their origins.
If the past is anything to go by, the DRC will effectively deal with the current Ebola outbreak. But that doesn't mean we should be complacent.
Hepatitis A is a virus that infects the liver. Symptoms usually take 15-50 days to develop after initial infection and typically last for several weeks or sometimes longer.
The flu vaccine isn't perfect but it's the best way to protect against these potentially harmful viruses. Most children aged six months to five years are eligible for a free vaccine in 2018.
A core idea in molecular biology is that one gene codes for one protein. Now biologists have found an example of a gene that yields two forms of a protein – enabling it to evolve new functionality.
Pakistan had only eight new diagnoses of polio in 2017. The virus' days look numbered – but health workers have their work cut out for them to eradicate the devastating disease once and for all.
No one then knew a virus caused the 1918 flu pandemic, much less that animals can be a reservoir for human illnesses. Now virus ecology research and surveillance are key for public health efforts.
Hoverflies are helping spread disease among the already declining bee population.
Top contributors
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Virologist, University of Glasgow
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, McMaster University
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Director, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital and Consultant Physician, Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
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Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, University of Sussex
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Peter C. Doherty is a Friend of The Conversation.
Laureate Professor, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
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Cameron Webb is a Friend of The Conversation.
Clinical Lecturer and Principal Hospital Scientist, University of Sydney
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Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
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Consultant Neonatologist and Professor of Ethics, University of Oxford
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John Curtin Distinguished Professor of Health Science, Curtin University
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Professor, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney
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Immunology researcher, Monash University
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Ian M. Mackay is a Friend of The Conversation.
Adjunct assistant professor, The University of Queensland
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Virologist, The University of Queensland
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Wellcome Trust Fellow, University of Cambridge
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Ph.D. Candidate in Chemical & Physical Biology, Vanderbilt Vaccine Center, Vanderbilt University
