Editor’s Selections: Ebola blocker, why gonorrhea is still a problem, and behind enemy lines
November 11th, 2011 Editor's Selections 7 CommentsVincent Racaniello selects several notable posts each week from molecular and cellular biology and virology. He unravels viruses at virology blog.
- Ebola virus enters cells by the endocytic pathway. Exit of the virus from endosomes requires a cell protein called Neimann Pick C1. An inhibitor of this protein blocks viral entry.
- Neisseria gonorrhea is the bacterium responsible for the eponymous sexually transmitted disease. Infection is still quite common, and in the absence of a vaccine, antibiotic treatment has led to the emergence of widespread resistance.
- The sandfly Phlebotomus and the protozoan parasite that it transmits, Leishmania, is endemic in both Afghanistan and Iraq and has bested the US military. Infection leads to cutaneous leishmaniasis, also called “oriental sore”, “Jericho buttons” and “Baghdad boil”, comprises ulcerative lesions on the face, arms and legs.
I’ll be back next Friday with more selections.