When we talk about human papillomavirus (HPV) we are actually referring to more than 200 different viruses, all belonging to the Papillomaviridae family, classified into five genera (α, β, γ, μ, ν). They are DNA viruses that infect the skin or the mucosae and are divided into low-risk and high-risk types, depending on their abilityContinue reading “Human papillomavirus (HPV)”
Category Archives: English version
Why don’t we all produce the same amount of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2?
What we already knew about the antibodies against SARS-COV-2 In our first study on patients who had recovered from COVID-19, we saw that some patients had more antibodies in their blood, and that in others the level of antibodies declined very quickly. Moreover, looking at different groups of patients all over the world (including ours),Continue reading “Why don’t we all produce the same amount of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2?”
Immunology is cool!
Last week I attended the British Society for Immunology Congress in lovely Edinburgh. At last a “real” in-person congress (the online option was also available) with real interactions with other scientists from all over the United Kingdom and some international guests. When I take part in big congresses like this, with parallel sessions on differentContinue reading “Immunology is cool!”
Florence Nightingale: a pioneer in epidemiology and infectious disease control
Florence Nightingale was a nurse during the Victorian age in England, or to be more precise, she was the first real nurse. She was the first to define nursery as a profession (for a long time exclusively for women), and to define its rules and principles in her book Notes on nursing for the labouringContinue reading “Florence Nightingale: a pioneer in epidemiology and infectious disease control”
Viral Hepatitis
Do you know that every year 1.4 million people worldwide die of viral hepatitis? It is one death every 30 seconds. World Hepatitis Day takes place every year on July 28 (the day Baruch Bloomberg, the discoverer of Hepatitis B virus, was born) to raise awareness on this disease. Five viruses cause hepatitis: HBV eContinue reading “Viral Hepatitis”
How long do anti- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies last?
How long do anti- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies last? Do we all produce the same amount of antibodies after the infection? If not, why? To answer these questions, we analysed 2001 healthcare workers from three hospitals in London, between the first and the second waves of the pandemic in the United Kingdom. These hospitals are in East London,Continue reading “How long do anti- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies last?”
HCV: a virus able to elude the immune system
The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) was discovered in the 80s thanks to the work of Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton, and Charles M. Rice, who jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020. Before that, two other viruses called Hepatitis A virus and Hepatitis B virus (HAV, HBV) were known to infectContinue reading “HCV: a virus able to elude the immune system”
Mutations, variants and quasispecies: the microevolution of viruses
Why do viruses mutate? Actually, the question we should ask is: how do viruses mutate? Viruses are not consciously thinking beings that pursue a strategy, they do not decide to mutate or how to mutate, and when this happens, it is the result of the mutation to determine whether it will persist in time, andContinue reading “Mutations, variants and quasispecies: the microevolution of viruses”
One year of online congresses: pros and cons
One of the positive aspects of working in academic research is (or at least was) participating in congresses, not only to present one’s own work and meet other scientists, but also for the travelling experience. For one year now, scientific congresses and conferences have been either canceled or hold as online events, something to whichContinue reading “One year of online congresses: pros and cons”
The Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine: a viral vector-based vaccine
Three different vaccines have been authorised for emergency use in the United Kingdom to control the pandemic: two of them are mRNA vaccines, and one is based on a viral vector. The latter, called AZD1222, has been developed by Oxford University in collaboration with the biopharma company Astra Zeneca. AZD1222 is based in a chimpanzeeContinue reading “The Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine: a viral vector-based vaccine”
Virus&Co. 