Ebolavirus vaccines and antivirals
As the epidemic of Zaire ebolavirus in Western Africa continues (1,779 cases and 961 deaths in four countries), many are questioning why there are no means of preventing or stopping infection. In the past two decades there has been substantial research into developing and testing active and passive vaccines and antiviral drugs, although none have yet been licensed for use in humans.
Using antibodies to treat infection with ebolaviruses with antibodies is probably the best known therapy, because it was used to treat a two Americans who were infected while working in Liberia. They received a mixture of three monocl...
Source: virology blog - August 8, 2014 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Basic virology Information antiviral ebola virus ebolavirus filovirus Guinea hemorrhagic fever Liberia monoclonal antibody therapy Sierra Leone vaccine ZMapp Source Type: blogs
Visiting biosafety level-4 laboratories
Experiments with the most dangerous human viruses, such as Ebola virus and Lassa virus, are carried out in biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratories. Since visiting the Northeast Infectious Diseases Laboratory BSL-4 and releasing the documentary video Threading the NEIDL, I was given the opportunity to tour three BSL-4 laboratories in the United States and Australia. My impressions of each facility might be of interest to readers of this blog.
Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana
Rocky Mountain Laboratory (RML) is located in the small and sleepy town of Hamilton, Montana (population 4,508), in the Bitterroot Vally t...
Source: virology blog - July 15, 2014 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: Basic virology Information Australian Animal Health Laboratory biosecurity BSL-3 BSL-4 Doherty Institute NEIDL RML Rocky Mountain Laboratory viral virus Source Type: blogs
Threading the NEIDL: TWiV goes inside a BSL-4
Last fall the science show This Week in Virology teamed up with MicrobeWorld (the public outreach website by the American Society for Microbiology) and Boston University School of Medicine to produce a documentary offering a rarely seen behind-the-scenes view of a biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory. Today I am pleased to announce the release of Threading the NEDIL: TWiV goes inside a BSL-4.
Constructed in 2009 in the highly populated South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) facility contains labs that operate at biosafety levels 2, 3 and 4. Due to i...
Source: virology blog - March 7, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Vincent Racaniello Tags: This Week in Virology biosecurity bioterrorism Boston University BSL-4 National Emerging Diseases Laboratory NEIDL viral virus Source Type: blogs
