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Peroxisomes Could Be Key to Stopping West Nile and Dengue Viruses

A new discovery from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry could open the door to one day treat or prevent diseases caused by West Nile virus and Dengue virus infections. The research, published and featured in the December edition of the Journal of Virology, examines a previously unknown connection between flaviviruses--a classification of viruses that include West Nile virus, Dengue virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus--and organelles (a specialized subunit within a cell) known as peroxisomes that help coordinate the body's immune responses. Postdoctoral fellow Jaehwan You and PhD student Shangmei Hou, the lead authors on the study, found that flaviviruses induce degradation of a protein called Pex19, which is essential for the building of new peroxisomes, setting off a chain reaction that could leave the body more vulnerable to viral infection.

Progress Toward Creating a Broad-Spectrum Antiviral

UW researchers working in collaboration with Kineta Inc. and the University of Texas at Galveston have shown that making a drug-like molecule to turn on innate immunity can induce genes to control infection in several -known viruses. The findings being published in the Journal of Virology Dec. 18 show promising evidence for creating a broad spectrum antiviral that can suppress a range of RNA viruses, including West Nile, dengue virus, hepatitis C, influenza A, respiratory syncytial, Nipah, Lassa and Ebola.

Patients Can Safely Self-Administer Long-term IV Antibiotics

Uninsured patients can be trained to safely and efficiently self-administer long-term intravenous antibiotics, UT Southwestern Medical Center physicians have found, a result that may have profound implications for patient treatment at public hospitals across the country. A four-year study compared outcomes of Parkland Memorial Hospital patients who either self-administered long-term IV antibiotics or had their long-term antibiotics administered by a healthcare worker. The study found similar or better outcomes for the group that administered their own antibiotics, a practice that is rare among hospitals.

Understanding How Mosquitoes Target Temperatures Might Enable Researchers to Design Better Traps

Many animals gravitate toward heat, most often to regulate their own body temperatures. In rare cases, certain species--ticks, bedbugs, and some species of mosquitoes--seek out heat for food. For female mosquitoes, finding heat is essential for survival, as they need to feast on warm-blooded prey to produce eggs. At the same time, mosquitoes have to know when something is too hot, so they won't get scorched on an over-heated blacktop, for instance.

World's First Dengue Vaccine Originated From Saint Louis University Research

A vaccine to prevent dengue fever discovered by a Saint Louis University researcher in 1997 and now licensed worldwide by Sanofi Pasteur has been approved for use in Mexico. Dengvaxia® is the world’s first vaccine approved to prevent dengue fever, which is a virus spread by mosquitoes primarily in tropical and sub-tropical areas.