influenza viruses

(Rutgers University) Researchers at Rutgers University and the University of Texas at Austin have reported a discovery that could help scientists develop drugs to fight seasonal influenza epidemics caused by the common influenza B strain.

Their discovery also helps explain how influenza B is limited to humans, and why it cannot be as virulent as A strains that incorporate new genes from influenza viruses that infect other species.

(University of Miami) A University of Miami computer scientist, Dimitris Papamichail, and a team of researchers from Stony Brook University have developed a rapid and effective approach to produce vaccines for new strains of influenza viruses.

The researchers hope to develop the new technology and provide an efficient method to confront the threat of seasonal epidemics.

There's no way to predict how much activity the U.S. will see from the pandemic H1N1 and seasonal influenza viruses for the rest of the flu season, experts said.

TORONTO (MedPage Today) -- The swine flu virus contains a combination of gene segments that had not been previously reported in either swine or human influenza viruses, the CDC said.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $12.9 million for the development of low-cost influenza tests that can detect and differentiate seasonal human influenza viruses from avian influenza within three hours.