Government Affairs & National Security
DoD Develops Biological Select Agents and Toxins Surrogate Solution (
Global Biodefense) The Defense Biological Product Assurance Office, a component of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, has announced the development of a Biological Select Agents and Toxins surrogate solution that will mitigate the risks associated with shipment and use of
Bacillus anthracis.
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Global Health Security
Medicine & Public Health
Zika Enhancement: A Reality Check (
The Lancet) The recent Zika virus epidemic in Brazil was associated with microcephaly and fetal malformation. Severe cases of CNS malformation in northeastern Brazil have raised questions about why infection in pregnant women was apparently more severe in this region.
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Effects of Influenza Strain Label on Worry and Behavioral Intentions (
Emerging Infectious Diseases) Persons who read information about a hypothetical influenza strain with scientific or exotic-sounding name reported higher worry and vaccination intentions than did those who read about strains named after an animal reservoir. These findings suggest that terms used for influenza in public communications can influence reactions.
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Science & Technology
Host and Viral Traits Predict Zoonotic Spillover from Mammals (
Nature) The majority of human emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, with viruses that originate in wild mammals of particular concern. Understanding patterns of viral diversity in wildlife and determinants of successful cross-species transmission, or spillover, are therefore key goals for pandemic surveillance programs.
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Studying the 'Rebound Virus' (
Science Daily) Scientists are investigating how the Zika virus is able to find a safe harbor in an infected host's tissue and stage a rebound weeks after the virus was seemingly cleared by the immune system.
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