TB & Outbreaks Week
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Smallpox
Data on smallpox reported by researchers at Washington University
November 25th, 2008
"Despite eradication of smallpox three decades ago, public health concerns remain due to its potential use as a bioterrorist weapon. Smallpox and other orthopoxviruses express virulence factors that inhibit the host's complement system," scientists writing in the Journal of Immunology report. "In this study, our goals were to characterize the ability of the smallpox inhibitor of complement enzymes, SPICE, to regulate human complement on the cell surface. We demonstrate that SPICE binds to a variety of cell types and that the heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans serve as attachment sites. A transmembrane-engineered version as well as soluble...
Source: TB & Outbreaks Week (2008-11-25)
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