- Emerging viruses ×
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How should public health authorities use pathogen genomics in practice?
February 6, 2023
Dr Declan Bradley takes us behind the scenes of his latest research 'How public health authorities can use pathogen genomics in health protection practice: a consensus-building Delphi study conducted in the United Kingdom' published in Microbial Genomics.
From the first detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans, genomics was central to defining and understanding the threat posed by this emerging infectious disease. Pathogen genomics services grew to operate at a scale that was orders of magnitude greater than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Health protection services in public health authorities are responsible for surveillance and prevention of communicable diseases. -
One C. psittaci clone to rule them all?
October 24, 2022
Upon the publication of her team's latest paper in Microbial Genomics, Dr Martina Jelocnik gives a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the University of the Sunshine Coast's Chlamydians team, keeping track of veterinary chlamydial infections.
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Ask A Microbiologist: What is Monkeypox?
May 25, 2022
With declared cases of monkeypox increasing in the UK and internationally, we spoke to Professor Neil Mabbott, Personal Chair of Immunopathology and Director of Teaching at the Roslin Institute and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh. We asked him some common questions about monkeypox.
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In pictures: The first images of a coronavirus
April 17, 2020
Today, the word ‘coronavirus’ has become a part of everyone’s daily vocabulary. It’s difficult to believe that 60 years ago the very existence of these viruses was disputed by experts, with the first images of coronavirus written off as badly imaged influenza. Now, as the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 continues to change the world as we know it, the history of coronaviruses is being revisited.
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Hot topic lecture: Paralytic disease caused by enteroviruses: the role of non-polio serotypes
May 31, 2019
One of the two Hot Topic Lectures taking place at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference in April this year was held by Dr Javier Martin (National Institute for Biological Standards and Control [NIBSC], UK). In his talk, titled ‘Paralytic disease caused by enteroviruses: the role of non-polio serotypes’ Dr Martin discussed the recent upsurge of acute flaccid myelitis cases reported in various countries in 2018 and their possible association with enterovirus infections.
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The Emergence and History of Arboviruses
January 28, 2019
The name ‘arbovirus’ is an acronym for arthropod-borne virus, referring to viruses that are transmitted by arthropods, for example mosquitoes and ticks. Well known arboviruses include dengue, West Nile, yellow fever and Zika virus. Although malaria is mosquito-borne, it is a protist, not a virus, and so is not an arbovirus.
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Microbe Talk: West Nile Virus
August 17, 2018
West Nile Fever is a disease spread to humans and horses by mosquitoes. In Europe this year, there have been 230 cases of West Nile Fever, and 17 deaths. This month, we spoke with an expert to discuss where the virus comes from, what influences disease spread, and what infection looks like:
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Researchers are hunting for viruses that could cause the next pandemic
July 13, 2017
Scientists around the world are looking for the next SARS or MERS virus in wildlife from disease emergence ‘hotspots’.
