Viruses have shaped human history through devastating infections. In addition, virus infection may be responsible for up to 15% of cancer deaths. Nevertheless, certain viruses can be our “friends.” At the end of the 18th century, Edward Jenner used cowpox to protect humans against infection with a lethal pathogen, smallpox. Based on the effectiveness...

Microbes, from the smallest viruses to the largest unicellular protists, dominate our oceans, playing a central role in ocean food webs and as key drivers of biogeochemical processes, yet the complex interactions and ecological significance of these relationships within and between biomes are largely unknown. Describing and studying the hosts (prokaryotes...

The spread of viruses among cells, organs, and hosts is often mediated by structures that carry multiple viral genome copies, such as polyploid virions, virion aggregates, occlusion bodies, virus-containing lipid vesicles, and virological synapses. These structures increase the multiplicity of infection, defined as the number of viral genomes that...

miRNAs play significant roles in different diseases. By binding to target genes, miRNAs post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. During viral infections, miRNAs manipulate the activities of viruses and host cells. Some viral miRNAs mimic cellular miRNAs, and interfere with cellular activities. Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)...

Zika virus (ZIKV) causes microcephaly, whereas other related pathogenic flaviviruses do not. To reach the fetal brain, a virus must be transported from the maternal to the fetal circulation, which requires crossing of the placental barrier. This study demonstrates that ZIKV, but not two other globally relevant flaviviruses, efficiently infects fetal...

Seems like a great idea – the widespread use of insecticide coate bednets to cut the spread of malaria by mosquitoes (mostly active at night). Unfortunately nature is rarely that simple. Widespread use has driven mosquitoes to evolve resistance to the insecticides used. By identifying genetic patterns that predict when and where resistance will evolve,...