Viruses
Shape‑shifting protein helps explain how rabies virus commandeers host cells
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Australian researchers report that a rabies virus protein changes shape and binds RNA to access liquid-like cellular compartments, offering a unifying explanation for how the virus exerts broad control with few genes. The work, published October 29, 2025, in Nature Communications, could inform future antivirals and vaccines, the team says.
Moderna confirmed ongoing work on an mRNA vaccine for hantavirus following a deadly outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship. The effort, in partnership with Korea University, began in 2023 and shows promise but remains years from completion.
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The World Health Organization has confirmed five cases and three deaths from hantavirus aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius, while stressing that the virus’s limited transmission route makes a wider outbreak unlikely.
Scientists have discovered that the body's rapid response in nasal cells largely determines whether a rhinovirus infection leads to a mild cold or more severe symptoms. Using lab-grown human nasal tissue, researchers showed how interferons coordinate defenses to contain the virus early. The findings, published January 19 in Cell Press Blue, emphasize the role of host responses over viral traits alone.
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Researchers have identified migrions, virus-like structures that enable faster and more severe viral spread by hijacking cell movement. These packages, formed in migrating cells infected with vesicular stomatitis virus, deliver multiple viral genomes simultaneously to new cells. The discovery challenges traditional models of infection and highlights increased disease potential in animal tests.