See on Scoop.it – Virology News
Cases of dogs contracting the virus have already been reported in multiple [US] states. Currently there is no vaccine available to treat the virus and severe cases could kill dogs in days.
This is a highly misleading report in a national US daily: basically, it is calimed that "circovirus" is spreading across the USA, killing dogs.
At one point in the USA Today clip, they claim that "…the virus originates in pigs and birds, and has mutated…".
Really?? The VERY distinct circoviruses that infect pigs – two kinds, both called PCV, only one nasty – and birds (MANY kinds) have spread to dogs??
This is, of course, complete nonsense: the only reports of actual virus sequences – see here (http://jvi.asm.org/content/86/12/7018.full) and here (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3647419/) – showed that there was a distinct circovirus (capsid and replicase proteins share <25% and <50% identities, respectively, with those of the known animal circoviruses), and that isolates from different dogs had very similar viruses. Thus, a hitherto undiscovered circovirus that is distinct from any previously characterised agent, is infecting dogs in the USA.
But is is NOT known to what extent. That still needs some work! Meantime, USAToday: get your sceince right!!
See on www.usatoday.com
ViroBlogy 
18 November, 2013 at 16:06 |
The level of accuracy in science reporting in general is pretty poor. Worse than that is the atrocious spelling. Do they not teach spelling at all in grammar school anymore?? It’s pretty bad when professionals such as Fox, CBS, NBC, etc. can’t spell “cat” anymore!