The Viral Talk

Episode 5 - Emerging Viral Pathogens

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What is an emerging virus? How do new viral pathogens emerge, which viruses are the ones on our watchlist and what is being done to prevent a new pandemic from happening? Join the host Federico De Angelis in understanding what are the threats that virologists from all over the world are trying to tame.


Takeaways:

  • Emerging viruses are agents responsible for a new or previously non-recognized infection.
  • For a new viral pathogen to emerge, it needs the ability to infect a different host from its reservoir, and to diffuse in the new host population. The chances of both these things happening are very slim.
  • The WHO has made a list of the viruses to watch in 2015 encompassing: 1) severe emerging coronaviruses SARS and MERS, 2) Filoviruses like Ebola and Marburg virus, 3) Nipah virus, 4) Rift valley virus, 5) Crimean congo haemorragic fever virus and 6) Lassa fever virus. All these viruses are RNA viruses. These viruses have been put on the list based on a series of characteristics. They are all able to infect humans, but not to spread very well human-to-human.
  • Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, a great deal of effort has gone into: surveillance, basic lab research for development of antivirals and vaccines, and a lot more effort in the development of infrastructure for better international collaborations, from PPE manufacturing to data sharing.


    • Additional info for the most interested:

    Youtube lecture from Prof. Vincent Racaniello at Columbia University on emerging viral diseases:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQFy-d7ISk&ab_channel=VincentRacaniello


    Review on cross-species transmission of emerging viruses:
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110969


    Pan-coronavirus vaccine development pipeline:

    https://www.nature.com/articles/d41573-022-00074-6


    What is the Pandemic Preparedness Treaty?

    https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9550/


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    The Viral TalkBy Federico De Angelis, Bobbie-Anne Turner