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”
Category Archives: Viruses
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”
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”
The flu: seasonal outbreaks and pandemics
At the beginning of 2020, when the spread of SARS-CoV-2 was undeniable but its consequences were still unknown, some tried to minimize the situation, saying that it was “just like a flu”. However, the flu is not an insignificant disease: it is a viral infection of the airways that we can prevent with a vaccineContinue reading “The flu: seasonal outbreaks and pandemics”
COVID-19 swab tests: how they work
If one year ago someone had told me that our daily conversations would have had “virus, PCR, swab, antibodies” as keywords, I would have not believed it, but (unfortunately) these are trending topics in 2020. Since everybody talks about that, but many still mix things up, here are the differences between “swab test” and “rapidContinue reading “COVID-19 swab tests: how they work”
West Nile Virus (WNV)
Author’s note: this article was published for the first time on 15/09/2020; latest update: 28/07/2025 What is the West Nile Virus and where is it found? West Nile Virus (WNV), despite its exotic name, is quite a common virus in Europe. In 2025 cases have been reported in Greece, Romania and Italy. It was initiallyContinue reading “West Nile Virus (WNV)”
Viruses from the past trapped in glacier ice
It has been known since the beginning of the last century, that glaciers store in their depths microorganisms from thousands of years ago. The study of ice samples collected using core drills has allowed determining the environmental conditions of different ages, based on the characteristics of the bacteria they contain. In some cases, bacteria foundContinue reading “Viruses from the past trapped in glacier ice”
When viruses are the ally: successful gene therapy for retinal dystrophy and beta-thalassemia
The goal of gene therapy is to cure monofactorial genetic disorders, caused by mutations in a single gene. In the sequence of each gene are the instructions for the production of a protein, and every block of three bases (codon) corresponds to a specific amino acid. Alterations in the DNA sequence (mutations) affect the sequenceContinue reading “When viruses are the ally: successful gene therapy for retinal dystrophy and beta-thalassemia”
Virus&Co. 