Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Gateway

HIV therapy: start later

Jens Lundgren and colleagues argue for a more cautious approach to starting antiretroviral therapy, highlighting that there is no evidence from randomized trials to suggest the benefits of starting therapy early outweigh the potential harms.

HIV therapy: start early

Ricardo Franco and Michael Saag discuss the benefits of starting HIV therapy early, arguing that treatment should be given as soon as possible to reduce viral replication, prevent transmission and avoid the problems associated with inflammation.

Malaria parasite metabolomics - a revisionist story

A reassessment of the carbon metabolism of Plasmodium falciparum challenges previous findings and suggests new therapeutic opportunities.

Canine norovirus in humans

Antibodies against canine norovirus were found in 22% of veterinarians and 6% of a control group and were associated with needle stick injuries with dog blood, suggesting that this pathogen may be tranmissible via the blood route to humans.

Efficient invasion requires RhoA

RhoA and Rac1 GTPases are recruited from the host cell to accumulate on the parasite vacuole membrane (PVM) during invasion by Toxplamsa gondii tachyzoites and undergo activation which is required for efficient cell invasion by this parasite.

Conversion of Coccidioides

Mycelium to spherule conversion in Coccidioides immitis strains results in widespread transcriptional modulation, however many genes important for this process in other pathogenic fungi are not differentially expressed indicating the evolution of different mechanisms for this process

Synergistic gene regulation by peach viruses

A transcriptomic analysis of infected peach fruits describes the first description of synergistic transcriptional regulation by a viroid and a plant virus.

Viruses, virophages and transposons

A phylogenomic analysis found that giant viruses, virophages and transposable elements have a complex evolutionary relationship, suggesting that viruses evolved from non-viral mobile genetic elements and vice versa, on more than one occasion.

Novel hantavirus in Eurasian shrews

A PCR screen of soricine shrews captured over three years in Poland identified a new hantavirus, Boginia virus, with unknown pathogenic potential.

Zoonoses in pet birds

Geraldine Boseret and colleagues address the biosecurity and hygiene concerns of human contact with pet birds, describing the risk of zoonotic infection with salmonellosis, avian influenza A H5N1 and other diseases.