Paramyxoviruses
Coronavirus and influenza have been attributed as causes of the last few pandemic, paramyxovirus — which according to the NIH is a family of single-stranded RNA viruses that typically cause infection in vertebrates — could be the next - Ashleigh Hollowell
HWN Suggests
The Viral Threat Almost No One Is Thinking About
Whether it begins next week, next year, or next decade, another pandemic is on its way. Researchers can’t predict precisely when or how the outbreak might begin. Some 1.6 million viruses are estimated to lurk in the world’s mammalian and avian wildlife, up to half of which could spill over into humans; an untold number are attempting exactly that, at this very moment, bumping up against the people hunting, eating, and encroaching on those creatures. (And that’s just viruses: Parasites, fungi, and bacteria represent major infectious dangers too.) The only true certainty in the pandemic forecast is that the next threat will be here sooner than anyone would like
Featured
The Viral Most Wanted: The Paramyxovirus Family
The Paramyxovirus family has more than 75 viruses, most of which are within two distinct sub-groups. The first of these is called the Paramyxoviruses and the second is called the Morbillivirus group. While the sub-groups groups are related, they have very distinct members with distinct ways of operating.
Articles of Interest
The Biology of Paramyxoviruses
Paramyxoviruses are a diverse family of non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses that include many important human, animal, and zoonotic pathogens. Despite their enormous importance, the nature of the viral genome had proved an obstacle to research, with the result that paramyxoviral research had lagged behind that of other viruses. The advent of reverse genetics in recent years has changed this, enabling great strides to be made in our understanding of the genomics, molecular biology and viral pathogenesis.
The type of virus that may cause the next pandemic
Coronavirus and influenza have been attributed as causes of the last few pandemic, paramyxovirus — which according to the NIH is a family of single-stranded RNA viruses that typically cause infection in vertebrates — could be the next.
Resources
StatPearls
The Paramyxoviridae is a family of single-stranded RNA viruses known to cause different types of infections in vertebrates. Examples of these infections in humans include the measles virus, mumps virus, parainfluenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The paramyxoviruses primarily spread via respiratory droplets.
