TWiV #63 - Melting pot virus

On episode #63 of the podcast This Week in Virology , Vincent, Alan, and Rich talk about US government contract for freeze-dried smallpox vaccine, red squirrels in the UK threatened by poxvirus, and Marseillevirus, another DNA virus from amoebae built for comfort and speed. Host links Vincent Racaniello , Alan Dove , and Rich Condit Links for this episode: US Government awards contract to Bavarian Nordic for freeze-dried smallpox vaccine ( pdf and clinical trial ) UK red squirrels threatened by poxvirus: news article one and two , epidemiology and experimental infection Another huge virus from amoebae ( Wired article, PNAS article, review article ) Discussion on rabies bait vaccine at virology blog , and status of the program Viral diseases of humans ( pdf )