Category Archives: On the Horizon

Researchers are hunting for viruses that could cause the next pandemic

Posted on July 13, 2017 by

Scientists around the world are looking for the next SARS or MERS virus in wildlife from disease emergence ‘hotspots’. giulia/Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 In late 2002, a new kind of lung infection began to emerge in the Guandong province of southern … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Microbiology, Emerging Diseases, On the Horizon, Virology | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

On the Horizon: What is Oropouche virus?

Posted on January 23, 2017 by

In this edition of our On the Horizon series, we take a look at an obscure virus that may cause an important emerging disease in 2017, or may remain in obscurity for much of the world. That is, except for … Continue reading →

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On the Horizon: Monkeypox

Posted on January 4, 2017 by

On 8 May 1980, after a global vaccination campaign, the WHO declared that smallpox had been eradicated. Wiping out this viral disease, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of millions of people throughout history, should be considered one of … Continue reading →

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On the Horizon: Rift Valley fever

Posted on November 15, 2016 by

In 1930, a new disease was reported in sheep on a farm near the town of Naivasha, in the central Rift Valley region of Kenya. This disease caused mass spontaneous abortions among pregnant ewes and the death of newborn lambs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Microbiology, Clinical and Medical Microbiology, Emerging Diseases, On the Horizon, Virology | Tagged | Leave a comment

On the Horizon: Hantaviruses

Posted on October 18, 2016 by

In early 2013, a man in North Wales was rushed to hospital showing symptoms of serious kidney problems. The source of his infection? His pet rats. Tests revealed that the causative agent was a rodent virus known as Seoul virus. … Continue reading →

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On the Horizon: Nipah virus

Posted on August 23, 2016 by

Our past two articles in the On the Horizon series have focused on diseases that were first identified decades ago. In this edition of the series, we’ll be looking at a virus that was only discovered at the very end … Continue reading →

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On the Horizon: Xylella fastidiosa

Posted on July 26, 2016 by

It’s not just humans and animals that are affected by emerging diseases. In this latest addition to the On the Horizon series, we learn about a poorly understood bacterium that causes significant hardships to farmers across the world. The Apulia … Continue reading →

Posted in Emerging Diseases, On the Horizon, Plant Microbiology | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment