Via Scoop.it – Virology News
In this month’s Bulletin
EDITORIALS
The WHO research agenda for influenza: two years later
– Michael L Perdue & Tim Nguyen
Influenza at the beginning of the 21st century
– Nahoko Shindo & Sylvie Briand
NEWS
Public health round-up
The influenza enigma
Spreading the word about seasonal influenza
Tackling influenza in Ghana
Via Scoop.it – Virology News
Via The Independent: New research warns of Olympics flu pandemic risk.
The millions of tourists coming to London for the Olympics will dramatically increase the risk that a flu pandemic in Britain might spread, according to new research to be published this week.
For Britain is ranked second in the world, after Singapore, in terms of the risk of an avian or swine flu outbreak spreading, according to a new study of more than 200 countries by the risk analysts Maplecroft.
Experts warn that the scale of the threat is vast. “There is little pre-existing natural immunity to H5N1 infection in the human population. Should the virus improve its transmissibility, the entire human population could be vulnerable to infection,” states the research – citing previous warnings from the World Health Organization.
As we would say here in SA: ja, boet…. Look at it this way: if we could have a Soccer World Cup in South Africa IN A PANDEMIC YEAR, in the absence of any vaccine, without a national or international disaster – then I think this is just scare-mongering.
Image courtesy of Russell Kightley Media
Via Scoop.it – Virology News
The influenza virus mRNAs are structurally similar to cellular mRNAs nevertheless; the virus promotes selective translation of viral mRNAs despite the inhibition of host cell protein synthesis. The infection proceeds normally upon functional impairment of eIF4E cap-binding protein, but requires functional eIF4A helicase and eIF4G factor. Here, we have studied whether the presence of cis elements in viral mRNAs or the action of viral proteins is responsible for this eIF4E-independence. The eIF4E protein is required for viral mRNA translation in vitro, indicating that cis-acting RNA sequences are not involved in this process. We also show that PB2 viral polymerase subunit interacts with the eIF4G protein. In addition, a chimeric mRNA containing viral UTR sequences transcribed by the viral polymerase out of the infection is successfully translated independently of an impaired eIF4E factor. These data support that the viral polymerase is responsible for the eIF4E independence of influenza virus mRNA translation.
Image courtesy Russell Kightley Media
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