In 752, Japanese Empress Koken wrote a short poem about the summertime yellowing of a field in what is thought to be the first account of a viral plant disease. More than 1,250 years later, scientists concluded that the virus Koken described was part of the particularly insidious geminivirus family that continues to decimate tomato, tobacco and cotton crops worldwide. Now, new research shows how c...

The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the world`s most charismatic carnivores. In an article published November 7 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, an international team of researchers provides insights into the genetic structure and history of lion populations. Their work refutes the hypothesis that African lions consist of a single, randomly breeding (panmictic) population. It also indicates...

Researchers are developing a DNA-based vaccine against the dreaded West Nile virus (WNV), which can be transmitted from animals to humans. The unique feature of this vaccine is that it is also effective after onset of the disease, for it has therapeutic properties. SARS, avian flu, Ebola – outbreaks of deadly viral infections are becoming increasingly frequent. And we still don’t have ...

It is becoming increasingly common to see individuals infected by the dengue virus who develop an ultimately fatal hemorrhagic syndrome, particularly in children during epidemics. However, in most cases, dengue remains a generally benign or even asymptomatic viral infection. One explanation for this phenomenon has just been put forward by researchers from CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Inserm and the Uni...

A University of Calgary scientist confirms that it is how our immune system responds, not the rhinovirus itself, that causes cold symptoms. Of more than 100 different viruses that can cause the common cold, human rhinoviruses are the major cause. The research, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, is the first study to comprehensively review gene changes in r...

Sneezing, runny nose and chills? You might blame the human rhinovirus (HRV), which causes 30 to 50 percent of common colds. But in reality, it`s not the virus itself but HRV`s ability to manipulate your genes that is the true cause of some of the most annoying cold symptoms. For the first time, researchers have shown that HRV hijacks many of your genes and causes an overblown immune response that ...