Bird flu virus remains infectious up to 600 days in municipal landfills
Amid concerns about a pandemic of swine flu, researchers from Nebraska report for the first time that poultry carcasses infected with another threat — the “bird flu” virus — can remain infectious in municipal landfills for almost 2 years.

Cold Virus Found to Manipulate Genes
Sneezing, runny nose and chills? You might blame the human rhinovirus (HRV), which causes 30 to 50 percent of common colds.

Childhood Wheezing with Rhinovirus Can Increase Asthma Odds 10-fold
Infants who experience viral respiratory illnesses with wheezing are known to be at increased risk for developing asthma later during childhood.

HIV-1 drug-resistance and drug-dependence
In this review, the authors described several recent HIV-1 studies in which a drug-dependent virus variant was selected.

microRNAs in viral oncogenesis
MicroRNAs are a recently discovered class of small noncoding functional RNAs.

Localization of HIV-1 Vpr to the nuclear envelope: Impact on Vpr functions and virus replication in macrophages
The authors explored the contribution of Vpr accumulation at the NE to the Vpr functions, including G2-arrest and pro-apoptotic activities, and virus replication in primary macrophages.

World AIDS Day 2007: AIDS at 26, are we there yet?
This editorial comments on selected progress made in combating the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) after 26 years and some of the remaining challenges.

Design of a trans protease lentiviral packaging system that produces high titer virus
The authors describe a novel lentiviral packaging system in which not only is Gag supplied separately from Pol, but PR is also supplied independently

Hitting HIV where it hides
The recent finding that inhibitors of PI3/Akt can sensitize HIV infected macrophages to oxidative stress-induced cell death suggest a potential new therapeutic approach to targeting HIV reservoirs.

Turning up the volume on mutational pressure: Is more of a good thing always better? (A case study of HIV-1 Vif and APOBEC3)
APOBEC3G and APOBEC3F are human cytidine deaminases that serve as innate antiviral defense mechanisms primarily by introducing C-to-U changes in the minus strand DNA of retroviruses during replication

Functional diversity of HIV-1 envelope proteins expressed by contemporaneous plasma viruses
These findings demonstrate the marked functional heterogeneity of HIV-1 Env proteins expressed by contemporaneous circulating viruses

Effect of chloroquine on reducing HIV-1 replication in vitro and the DC-SIGN mediated transfer of virus to CD4+ T-lymphocytes
Results indicate that CQ should be considered as an HIV-1 therapeutic agent with its influence exerted through a number of mechanisms in vivo, including modulation of the gp120 structure

Rev-dependent lentiviral expression vector
In this report, by inclusion of multiple components of the HIV genome, the authors have constructed a lentiviral expression vector that displays a full dependency on the presence of HIV.

Vaccine for Ebola virus
One of the world's deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable

Molecular evolution of influenza A viruses circulated in Fujian Province, China
Fujian Center for Disease Control & Prevention, China, reported the molecular evolution of influenza A (H3N2) viruses in Fujian Province demonstrated some key codons responsible for antigenic drift.

Study provides new understanding of forces behind seasonal flu virus evolution
The new findings should help public health officials more quickly and accurately determine which strains to include in the annual flu vaccine.

Ugandan monkeys harbor evidence of infection with unknown poxvirus
Researchers report this month that red colobus monkeys in a park in western Uganda have been exposed to an unknown orthopoxvirus

Potential viral therapy weapon for difficult cancers is safe and effective in study
Study led by Cincinnati Children's proposes further development to advance treatment

A step forward in virology
Trojan horse of viruses revealed

Viruses may play a role in lung cancer development
evidence that common viruses may contribute to the development of lung cancer.