Flaviviruses: Past, Present And Future from Duane J Gubler writing in Molecular Virology and Control of Flaviviruses : The flaviviruses (genus Flavivirus) are among the most important pathogens infecting humans and domestic animals, causing hundreds of millions of infections annually. They have a global distribution and cause a broad spectrum of illness ranging from mild viral syndrome to severe and fatal hemorrhagic and neurologic disease. The genus is made up of a diverse group of 53 viral species that have evolved into three distinct read more ...

Flavivirus-Vector Interactions from Ken E. Olson and Carol D. Blair writing in Molecular Virology and Control of Flaviviruses : Flaviviruses such as dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses continue to cause a significant amount of disease in humans. Most flaviviruses are maintained in nature by cycling between hematophagus arthropod vectors and vertebrate hosts, and the viruses need to replicate in both vectors and hosts. This review focuses on flavivirus-vector interactions to present a current understanding of events and processes that read more ...

Excerpt from a book review of RNA Interference and Viruses: Current Innovations and Future Trends : "Overall, this book provides a timely and useful review of topics relevant to the interface of small RNA biology and virology. Chapters were written to stand alone and are therefore best read individually ... a good addition to institutional libraries." from Eva Gottwein (Chicago, USA) writing in The Quarterly Review of Biology (2012) 87: read more ...

Excerpt from a book review of Microbial Population Genetics : " a useful overview on the tools and concepts in bacterial population biology" from Edward J. Feil (Bath, UK) writing in The Quarterly Review of Biology (2012) 87: read more ...

Excerpt from a book review of Brucella : Molecular Microbiology and Genomics : "a must-have for anyone interested in Brucella spp and brucellosis ... a comprehensive and detailed review of the most recent advances regarding Brucella ... This well-referenced book will be a welcome addition to the libraries of researchers, laboratory workers, molecular biologists, microbiologists, and veterinarians ... For those looking for a single, detailed reference on Brucella organisms, purchasing this book will be money well spent." from Angela Arenas read more ...

Excerpt from a book review of Bacillus : Cellular and Molecular Biology (Second edition) : "The book contains some very high quality diagrams and figures ... It also comes with useful Internet tools ... This comprehensive book presents current scientific studies on the cellular processes of Bacillus species ... The book is well organized" from Rebecca T. Horvat (University of Kansas, USA) writing in read more ...

Flavivirus Virion Structure from Richard J. Kuhn writing in Molecular Virology and Control of Flaviviruses : Flavivirus virions form in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) with the recruitment of genome RNA, capsid protein, and the envelope (E) and precursor to the membrane proteins (prM). The nascent particles acquire a lipid bilayer as they bud into the ER lumen in an immature form. Glycosylation and subsequent processing of the particles occur as they proceed through the cellular secretory system. In the low pH that is encountered in the read more ...

Flavivirus Vaccines from Scott B. Halstead writing in Molecular Virology and Control of Flaviviruses : Eight flaviviruses cause significant morbidity and mortality around the globe: yellow fever (YF), Japanese encephalitis (JE), Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), dengue 1, 2, 3, 4 and West Nile (WN). Four, YF, JE, TBE and WN are zoonoses, with the consequence that vaccines are the only means of protecting humans. The successful YF 17D vaccine, introduced in 1937, produced dramatic reductions in epidemic activity. Effective killed JE and TBE read more ...

Irene Wagner-Döbler presents a new book on Bioremediation of Mercury: Current Research and Industrial Applications In this timely book, established mercury experts review the latest research in this area, including the genetic engineering of bacteria and plants. The gap between laboratory research and field application is bridged using case studies: An abandoned chlor-alkali electrolysis factory in Kazhakhstan, a former PVC plant in Albania, and the Madeira River Basin in the Amazon region. The remaining chapters cover: the mercury-cell read more ...

Flavivirus Replication and Assembly from Justin A. Roby, Anneke Funk, and Alexander A. Khromykh writing in Molecular Virology and Control of Flaviviruses : The replication and assembly of Flaviviruses are complex procedures, which require the efficient coordination of a number of different steps. These stages are highly organized temporally and spatially in the infected cell and require the virus-induced establishment of host-derived membrane structures. Flavivirus RNA structures, non-structural proteins and host factors actively participate read more ...

Flavivirus Fitness and Transmission from Gregory D. Ebel and Laura D. Kramer writing in Molecular Virology and Control of Flaviviruses : Flavivirus fitness is inextricably linked to the ability of a particular agent to be efficiently transmitted among relevant hosts in natural transmission cycles. Thus, fitness is an inherent component of the virus-host relationship. The mechanisms through which virus fitness is maximized are poorly understood, but have recently been examined in increasing detail. This chapter examines recent developments in read more ...

Flavivirus Diagnostics from Elizabeth Hunsperger writing in Molecular Virology and Control of Flaviviruses : Within the family of Flaviviridae there are many medically important viruses that cause human disease worldwide. These viruses were originally categorized based on phenotype due to their antigenic relatedness and placed within groups, subgroups and types and later confirmed with nucleic acid sequence analysis. Diagnosis of disease caused by flaviviruses has been primarily based on serological identification of anti-viral antibodies read more ...

Flavivirus Antiviral Development from Qing-Yin Wang, Yen-Liang Chen, Siew Pheng Lim, and Pei-Yong Shi writing in Molecular Virology and Control of Flaviviruses : Many flaviviruses are human pathogens of global importance, but no clinically approved antiviral therapy is currently available to manage these diseases. Both pharmaceutical industry and academia have invested considerable efforts over the past decade on finding the flavivirus antivirals using modern drug discovery. Various high-throughput compatible target-based and cell-based read more ...

Fimbrial Adhesins: Adhesive Molecules on a 'Stalk' from Hae Joo Kang, Edward N. Baker and Thomas Proft writing in Bacterial Pathogenesis: Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms : As an important step for the successful and continuous colonization of the host, bacterial pathogens express a variety of specific adhesins on their cell surface, which allows them to interact with receptors on host cells. However, this close interaction might also be detrimental for the bacteria, as it could trigger infiltration and activation of immune cells and read more ...

Extremophiles and Biotechnology: How Far Have We Come? from Mark Paul Taylor, Lonnie Van Zyl, Marla Tuffin and Don Cowan writing in Extremophiles: Microbiology and Biotechnology : In principle, extremophiles have much to offer the biotechnology industry, from robust, process hardy enzymes to metabolically and physiologically diverse whole cell biocatalysts. However, the penetration of extremophilic organisms and their products into biotechnology markets has been modest at best, with preference given to engineered, cost effective enzyme read more ...

Ralf G. Dietzgen and Ivan V. Kuzmin present a new book on Rhabdoviruses: Molecular Taxonomy, Evolution, Genomics, Ecology, Host-Vector Interactions, Cytopathology and Control Written by a select group of world-renowned virologists, this book reviews all of the most recent advances in rhabdovirology providing a timely overview of the field. Most contributions are written from a molecular and genomic perspective and contain expert insights upon which to base future research efforts. Topics covered include: morphology, genome organization, read more ...

Excerpt from a book review of Vaccine Design: Innovative Approaches and Novel Strategies : "a comprehensive update and review of the most promising strategies and technologies used in vaccine research since the dawn of the genomic era ... a quite effective title worthy of consideration from all those involved with the manufacture of vaccines ... Clearly any laboratory personnel working with vaccines specifically or using related principles of immunology in their work should read this book. Additionally, clinicians with a particular interest read more ...

Extreme to the 4th Power! Oil-, High Temperature- , Salt- and Pressure - Tolerant Microorganisms in Oil Reservoirs. What Secrets Can They Reveal? from Hans Kristian Kotlar writing in Extremophiles: Microbiology and Biotechnology : In the deep biosphere, extraordinary new types of microorganisms, sedimented or buried 200 - 500 million years ago, can be found. These organisms can be identified and characterized. The information obtained can be developed into novel tools for searching for new oil in sensitive regions like the Arctic, Antarctica read more ...

M. Pilar Francino presents a new book on Horizontal Gene Transfer in Microorganisms Under the expert guidance of the editor, M. Pilar Francino, expert authors from around the world have contributed novel work and comprehensive, up-to-date reviews on the most topical aspects of horizontal gene transfer in microorganisms. Topics include: gene survival in emergent genomes, evolution of prokaryotic pangenomes, horizontal transfer of host-adaptability systems, barriers to horizontal gene transfer, evolution of horizontally transferred genes, read more ...

Extracellular Enzymes in Aquatic Biofilms: Microbial Interactions Vs Water Quality Effects in the Use of Organic Matter from Anna M. Romaní, Joan Artigas and Irene Ylla writing in Microbial Biofilms: Current Research and Applications : Biofilms in aquatic ecosystems colonize various compartments (sand, rocks, leaves) and play a key role in the uptake of inorganic and organic nutrients. Due to their extracellular enzyme capabilities, biofilm microorganisms are able to use organic matter from the surrounding water and increasing read more ...