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2004 Life, Science and Health: Diseases Across Species

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CHICKENS AND PIGS AND DUCKS, OH MY: Influenza Ecology

Influenza received more attention this year because of two different factors, known as antigenic drift and antigenic shift. Influenza has affected humans for centuries and the virus that causes the disease was first isolated in 1930. Some of the reasons new strains of influenza A virus emerge to cause serious disease in people are becoming clear. The transmission of viruses from other species to people is very important in the evolution of viruses that may cause human pandemics. Pandemics are worldwide epidemics among people that can sometimes lead to devastating disease and death. This presentation will discuss how the influenza virus changes its exterior coat (antigenic drift and shift) to hide from our immune system, and why infection of chickens, ducks and pigs is important to human health. Learn why the ecology of influenza viruses in many parts of the world are important to us here in Albany.

David Wentworth, Ph.D.

Dr. Wentworth joined the Wadsworth Center in 2002, where he directs the influenza research laboratory. The goals of his research are to understand the adaptation of a virus to a new host, and to identify molecular determinants that affect the transmission or virulence of the virus. His previous studies have included the transmission of swine viruses to humans, highly pathogenic H5 influenza viruses, and coronavirus-host interactions. His laboratory team currently studies influenza A viruses, and coronaviruses such as human coronavirus strain 229E, and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that recently emerged in China. Dr. Wentworth received his doctorate in virology studying influenza at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He studied coronaviruses as a postdoctoral fellow, and later as an instructor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. He has taught virology and microbiology to undergraduate, graduate, veterinary and medical students.