virology – Kettinki

2024-09-28 @ 16.31.56 ∈ In English

(TIL)

Why Scientists Are Puzzled By This Virus

You’ve got trillions of viruses inside you – right now! But these aren’t the viruses you fear. Some of them are your body’s secret protectors, keeping deadly bacteria in check and even killing cancer cells. But what happens when they turn against you? Let's look at the wild world of the human virome.

2024-07-19 @ 17.27.43 ∈ Suomeksi

Pohjois-Karjalasta löytyi pelätty hyttynen – luultavasti maailman pohjoisin havainto

Helsingin yliopiston tutkija Lorna Culverwell on löytänyt vasta toista kertaa Suomesta Culex modestus -sääskilajin edustajan. Aikaisempi havainto tehtiin kaksi vuotta sitten Porissa. Erityistä lajille on sen kyky levittää ihmisiin ja eläimiin tarttuvaa Länsi-Niilin virusta.

2024-01-26 @ 18.47.21 ∈ In English

Four cold-causing coronaviruses may provide clues to COVID’s future

Four largely ignored coronaviruses circulate in humans without causing great harm and may portend the future for SARS-CoV-2

2023-08-28 @ 19.03.59 ∈ In English

COVID-19 virus is evolving rapidly in white-tailed deer, new research finds

The combined findings suggest that the white-tailed deer species is a reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 that enables continuing mutation, and that the virus's circulation in deer could lead to its spread to other wildlife and livestock.

2023-06-30 @ 13.18.11 ∈ Suomeksi

A new species of mosquito found in Finland, official count of species now at 44

A species of mosquito not previously recorded from Finland has been discovered in the coastal municipality of Pori. Culex modestus has become the 44th mosquito species found in Finland, and the northernmost record of the species in Europe.

2022-03-15 @ 12.23.17 ∈ In English

(Slightly fearmongering, but the bit I quoted below seems solid.)

Antigenic evolution will lead to new SARS-CoV-2 variants with unpredictable severity - Nature Reviews Microbiology

Unlike viral immune escape and transmissibility, which are under strong evolutionary pressure, virulence is typically a by-product, fashioned by complex interactions between factors in both the host and the pathogen.