From Our Partners
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
News on Pathogens and Preparedness
Global Biodefense
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
Global Biodefense
No Result
View All Result
Home Biosecurity

Predicting Which Viruses Will Cause Human Epidemics

by Global Biodefense Staff
March 29, 2016
Antivirals for Influenza Respiratory Infection

Credit: Shutterstock

Antivirals for Influenza Respiratory InfectionWith changes in land use and increased urbanization, the frequency with which pathogens jump species barriers to emerge in new hosts is expected to rise. Knowing which viruses may be more likely to become transmissible among humans, as opposed to only generating dead-end spillover infections, would be of considerable benefit to pandemic planning.

To address this issue, a team from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre compiled and analyzed a database of 203 human viruses and used statistical models to identify biological factors that predict which viruses are most likely to successfully emerge in human populations.

Their findings were published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“The probability of human-to-human transmission was increased by low host mortality and the ability to survive in the host for an extended time, both of which allow a virus more time to spread,” said the paper’s lead author, Dr. Jemma Geoghegan. “A good example of this is polyomaviruses – a family of viruses that infect humans but which rarely cause symptoms or illness.

“In contrast, viruses that possess a particular structure called an ‘envelope’ seem less able to emerge in humans because they are more easily degradable and not environmentally stable. In the same way, viruses that are transmitted by insect vectors, such as mosquitoes, are also less likely to spread among humans. So, although diseases like dengue and Zika have received a great deal of attention, they are very much the exception rather than the rule,” she added.

According to the authors, these biological factors could be used to predict which viruses are more likely to cause epidemics, enabling public health officials to take appropriate measures to prevent and contain these outbreaks.

From Our Partners
Tags: AntiviralsEmerging Threats

Related Posts

Monkeypox Diagnostics: CDC Authorizes Five Commercial Lab Companies
Biosurveillance

Monkeypox Diagnostics: CDC Authorizes Five Commercial Lab Companies

June 22, 2022
UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control
Medical Countermeasures

UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control

June 21, 2022
Biodefense Industry News
Industry News

Tonix Pharmaceuticals Opens Advanced Development Center for Vaccine Programs

June 20, 2022
Dual Use Research of Concern: NIH to Host Stakeholder Engagement Meeting on Oversight Policies
Biosecurity

Dual Use Research of Concern: NIH to Host Stakeholder Engagement Meeting on Oversight Policies

June 14, 2022
Load More

Latest News

Biodefense Headlines – 5 July 2022

Biodefense Headlines – 5 July 2022

July 5, 2022
Poliovirus Detected in London Sewage: Response Measures Emphasize Wastewater Surveillance and Vaccination Gaps

Poliovirus Detected in London Sewage: Response Measures Emphasize Wastewater Surveillance and Vaccination Gaps

June 22, 2022
Monkeypox Diagnostics: CDC Authorizes Five Commercial Lab Companies

Monkeypox Diagnostics: CDC Authorizes Five Commercial Lab Companies

June 22, 2022
UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control

UK Health Security Agency Widens Monkeypox Vaccine Umbrella for Outbreak Control

June 21, 2022

Subscribe

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • COVID-19
  • Funding
  • Directory
  • Jobs
  • Events
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Stemar Media Group LLC