Virulent Vortex

Many papillomaviruses can cause cancer and genital warts. In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Erin Scherer explains how these viruses can spread through sexual intercourse, and how vaccines can help prevent infections, especially when administered at an early age. She also discusses how these vaccines result in long-term immune protection, and how adding viral DNA to protein-based vaccines could potentially make them more effective.  

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As most of us know, keeping up with yearly shots is the best way to prevent infection with influenza. In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Nicole Hood explains how we can use blood samples to figure out what flu viruses people have been exposed to in their past - and how we can use that information to better protect people against newly evolving viruses.

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Few people would argue that mosquitoes are a nuisance. What’s worse, many mosquitoes vector dangerous infectious diseases. One way to prevent this is to kill mosquitoes with insecticides. But what is the best and most cost-effective way? In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, David Jimenez-Vallejo takes us on a ride through some basic mosquito behavior, and explains that figuring out where mosquitoes like to take their naps may be the key to controlling them. 

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Diarrheal diseases are the leading cause of childhood mortality in low-resource settings. In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Maria Garcia Quesada explains that these diseases can be caused by viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. As part of her own research, she focuses on Shigella, and tries to understand how to best design trials to test the efficacy of newly developed Shigella vaccines. In her own words, her research is focused on “giving Shigella vaccines the best shot”.

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HIV remains a worldwide problem, partly because of its ability to hide inside the very immune cells that our bodies use to fight the virus. In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Deanna Kulpa explains how HIV can persist in cells for a long time by slowing down immune cells’ metabolism, essentially speeding up their aging. She also explains how rejuvenating immune cells may be the key to unhide HIV and control it.

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You may not have heard of reoviruses, but chances are that you have been infected by them. In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Meher Sethi explains how these viruses work together to transmit from host to host, and how this has made them one of the most successful viruses on our planet. Speaking of planets - she also tells us about her dreams to study viruses in outer space.

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In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Matthew Collins tells us about dengue, an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes. Controlling the disease has been difficult, but Collins explains how scientists are infecting mosquitoes with bacteria to stop them from spreading the virus. He also discusses how he and his colleagues are studying the specific immune responses against viruses to create better vaccines. 

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Our world is divided, says Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, but there is one thing we all agree on: we hate mosquitoes. Not only do these insects give us itchy bites, they also excel in transmitting life-threatening pathogens. In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Vazquez-Prokopec explains how his team went back to basics, showing how understanding some very simple mosquito behavior can help us better control disease. 

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In this episode of the Virulent Vortex, Dave Civitello discusses snails and schistosomes. Expecting that schistosomes from humans and cattle could hybridize and create super-parasites, Civitello found a much bigger problem. As he explains, cattle deposit huge amounts of feces into water bodies, where they fertilize algae, thereby providing food for snails and causing more transmission of parasites. While building fences around ponds may seem like an easy solution, ecology is telling a different story.

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In this episode Lance Waller talks to Jaap de Roode about his new book Doctors by Nature, discussing the many ways in which animals use medicine and what we can learn from them.

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