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Current Opinion in Biotechnology Jun 2008Half a century ago scientists attempted the detection of poliovirus in water. Since then other enteric viruses responsible for gastroenteritis and hepatitis have... (Review)
Review
Half a century ago scientists attempted the detection of poliovirus in water. Since then other enteric viruses responsible for gastroenteritis and hepatitis have replaced enteroviruses as the main target for detection. However, most viral outbreaks are restricted to norovirus and hepatitis A virus, making them the main targets in water. The inclusion of virus analysis in regulatory standards for viruses in water samples must overcome several shortcomings such as the technical difficulties and high costs of virus monitoring, the lack of harmonised and standardised assays and the challenge posed by the ever-changing nature of viruses. However, new tools are nowadays available for the study and direct surveillance of viral pathogens in water that may contribute to fulfil these requirements.
Topics: Animals; Biotechnology; Humans; Public Health; Sewage; Virology; Viruses; Water Microbiology; Water Supply
PubMed: 18508257
DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2008.04.006 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Apr 2007Other viruses pose greater public health threats, so isn't it time to move on?
Other viruses pose greater public health threats, so isn't it time to move on?
Topics: Biological Specimen Banks; Ethics, Research; Health Policy; Humans; Smallpox Vaccine; Variola virus; Virology
PubMed: 17431234
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.39177.580729.BE -
Virology Journal Jan 2020Viruses are the most numerous entities on Earth and have also been central to many episodes in the history of humankind. As the study of viruses progresses further and...
BACKGROUND
Viruses are the most numerous entities on Earth and have also been central to many episodes in the history of humankind. As the study of viruses progresses further and further, there are several limitations in transferring this knowledge to undergraduate and high school students. This deficiency is due to the difficulty in designing hands-on lessons that allow students to better absorb content, given limited financial resources and facilities, as well as the difficulty of exploiting viral particles, due to their small dimensions. The development of tools for teaching virology is important to encourage educators to expand on the covered topics and connect them to recent findings. Discoveries, such as giant DNA viruses, have provided an opportunity to explore aspects of viral particles in ways never seen before. Coupling these novel findings with techniques already explored by classical virology, including visualization of cytopathic effects on permissive cells, may represent a new way for teaching virology. This work aimed to develop a slide microscope kit that explores giant virus particles and some aspects of animal virus interaction with cell lines, with the goal of providing an innovative approach to virology teaching.
METHODS
Slides were produced by staining, with crystal violet, purified giant viruses and BSC-40 and Vero cells infected with viruses of the genera Orthopoxvirus, Flavivirus, and Alphavirus. Slides with amoebae infected with different species of giant viruses and stained with hemacolor reagents were also produced.
RESULTS
Staining of the giant viruses allowed better visualization of the viral particles, and this technique highlights the diversity in morphology and sizes among them. Hemacolor staining enabled visualization of viral factories in amoebae, and the staining of infected BSC-40 and Vero cell monolayers with crystal violet highlights plaque-forming units.
CONCLUSIONS
This kit was used in practical virology classes for the Biological Sciences course (UFMG, Brazil), and it will soon be made available at a low-cost for elementary school teachers in institutions that have microscopes. We hope this tool will foster an inspiring learning environment.
Topics: Animals; Cell Line; Chlorocebus aethiops; Giant Viruses; Humans; Microscopy; Students; Teaching; Teaching Materials; Vero Cells; Virology; Viruses
PubMed: 32005257
DOI: 10.1186/s12985-020-1291-9 -
ACS Infectious Diseases Mar 2018Each year there are more than 15 000 cases of human disease caused by infections with tick-borne viruses (TBVs). These illnesses occur worldwide and can range from... (Review)
Review
Each year there are more than 15 000 cases of human disease caused by infections with tick-borne viruses (TBVs). These illnesses occur worldwide and can range from very mild illness to severe encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever. Although TBVs are currently identified as neglected vector-borne pathogens and receive less attention than mosquito-borne viruses, TBVs are expanding into new regions, and infection rates are increasing. Furthermore, effective vaccines, diagnostic tools, and other countermeasures are limited. The application of contemporary technologies to TBV infections presents an excellent opportunity to develop improved, effective countermeasures. Experimental tick and mammal models of infection can be used to characterize determinants of infection, transmission, and virulence and to test candidate countermeasures. The use of ex vivo tick cultures in TBV research provides a unique way to look at infection in specific tick organs. Mammal ex vivo organ slice and, more recently, organoid cultures are additional models that can be used to elucidate direct tissue-specific responses to infection. These ex vivo model systems are convenient for testing methods involving transcript knockdown and small molecules under tightly controlled conditions. They can also be combined with in vitro and in vivo studies to tease out possible host factors and potential vaccine or therapeutic candidates. In this brief perspective, we describe how ex vivo cultures can be combined with modern technologies to advance research on TBV infections.
Topics: Animals; Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne; Mammals; Models, Theoretical; Organ Culture Techniques; Virology
PubMed: 29473735
DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.7b00274 -
Clinical Microbiology and Infection :... Feb 2019
Topics: Humans; Research; Virology; Virus Diseases
PubMed: 30580032
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2018.12.003 -
Medecine Sciences : M/S Dec 2016Unlike microbes known in his time, the first virus (that of tobacco mosaic disease) was discovered by Ivanoski in 1892 because it was not retained by Chamberland's... (Review)
Review
Unlike microbes known in his time, the first virus (that of tobacco mosaic disease) was discovered by Ivanoski in 1892 because it was not retained by Chamberland's porcelain candles. For more than a century afterward, viruses were equated with this simple property that is still extensively used today (using modern 0,2 µm pore filters) as a practical criterion to delineate the "viral fraction" from other microbes in medical or environmental samples. The first documented exception to the simplistic criterion of particle size came with the discovery of Mimivirus, the viral nature of which was eventually recognized in 2003, following ten years during which it was mistaken for an obligate intracellular bacterium. Thirteen more years later, we now realize that non-filtering "giant viruses" are not rare, probably ubiquitous, and come in a large variety of virion shapes, genome sizes, gene contents, and replication strategies. Following a quick description of the 4 giant virus families known today, we discuss the enigmas, controversies and perspectives of conceptual revolutions that are brought about by this new and booming area of virology.
Topics: Animals; Giant Viruses; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Mimiviridae; Phylogeny; Virology
PubMed: 28044972
DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20163212012 -
Journal of Virology Aug 2021
Topics: History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Virology
PubMed: 34191579
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00896-21 -
Current Opinion in Microbiology Aug 2013High throughput, deep sequencing assays are powerful tools for gaining insights into virus-host interactions. Sequencing assays can discover novel viruses and describe... (Review)
Review
High throughput, deep sequencing assays are powerful tools for gaining insights into virus-host interactions. Sequencing assays can discover novel viruses and describe the genomes of novel and known viruses. Genomic information can predict viral proteins that can be characterized, describe important genes in the host that control infections, and evaluate gene expression of viruses and hosts during infection. Sequencing can also describe variation and evolution of viruses during replication and transmission. This review recounts some of the major advances in the studies of virus-host interactions from the last two years, and discusses the uses of sequencing technologies relating to these studies.
Topics: Genomics; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Microbiota; Virology; Viruses
PubMed: 23706900
DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2013.04.006 -
Virus Research Aug 2014Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect humans and many animal species, and are associated with respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and central nervous system diseases. The large size of... (Review)
Review
Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect humans and many animal species, and are associated with respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and central nervous system diseases. The large size of the CoV genome and the instability of some CoV replicase gene sequences during its propagation in bacteria, represent serious obstacles for the development of reverse genetic systems similar to those used for smaller positive sense RNA viruses. To overcome these limitations, several alternatives to more conventional plasmid-based approaches have been established in the last 13 years. In this report, we briefly review and discuss the different reverse genetic systems developed for CoVs, paying special attention to the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV).
Topics: Clone Cells; Coronavirus; Replicon; Reverse Genetics; Virology
PubMed: 24930446
DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2014.05.026 -
Viruses Jun 2022The Czech Republic, a part of the former Czechoslovakia, has been at the forefront of several research directions in virology, genetics and physiology [...].
The Czech Republic, a part of the former Czechoslovakia, has been at the forefront of several research directions in virology, genetics and physiology [...].
Topics: Czech Republic; Virology
PubMed: 35746773
DOI: 10.3390/v14061303