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Study has shown scientists how to find and measure 'good cells' that can recognise and kill infected cells, but they still do not know how to generate them

By Claire Bates

PUBLISHED: 11:13 EST, 11 June 2012 | UPDATED: 11:13 EST, 11 June 2012

It has long been known that a tiny minority of people infected with HIV have a natural ability to fight off the deadly AIDS virus. Scientists said they are now a step closer to understanding why.

In a study they said holds promise for an HIV vaccine, researchers from four countries reported the secret lies not in the number of infection-killing cells a person has, but in how well they work.

Only about one person in 300 has the ability to control the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) without drugs, using a strain of 'killer' cells called cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) cells, previous research has found.

Mature HIV virus infection (blue) in human lymphatic tissue. One in 300 people have 'killer' cells that recognise and destroy the HIV infection

Taking that discovery further, scientists from the United States, Canada, Japan and Germany reported that the strain has molecules called receptors that are better able to identify HIV-infected white blood cells for attack.

Until now, it was well known that people with HIV 'have tonnes of these killer cells,' said Bruce Walker, an infectious diseases expert at the Ragon Institute in Massachusetts.

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HIV: People with rare natural ability to fight AIDS virus have potent 'killer' cells that recognise and destroy ...

A new study published in the journal Science has revealed that, in addition to the destruction of natural habitats and the widespread use of industrial chemical pesticides, the global bee die-off witnessed in recent years is also caused by a deadly virus carried by bloodsucking parasitic mites.

Varroa destructor is a bloodsucking parasite that feeds on honeybees and has spread globally, destroying colonies worldwide. (Photograph: Alamy) The report in Science is available to subscribers only, but according to The Guardian's Damian Carrington, the researchers who conducted the study warn that the virus, called Varroa destructor and carried by the varroa mite, is now one of the "most widely distributed and contagious insect viruses on the planet." Equally troubling, the new dominance of the killer virus poses an ongoing threat to colonies even after beekeepers have eradicated the mites from hives.

The research team, led by Stephen Martin of Britain's University of Sheffield studied the impact of Varroa in Hawaii, which the mites have only recently invaded.

"This data provides clear evidence that, of all the suggested mechanisms of honey bee loss, virus infection brought in by mite infestation is a major player in the decline," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

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Reuters: Bee-killing virus gets supercharged by mites

Bee populations have been falling rapidly in many countries, fuelled by a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. Its cause is unclear but the Varroa mite is a prime suspect, since it spreads viruses while feeding on hemolymph, or bee's "blood".

To clarify the link between mites and viruses, a team led by Stephen Martin of Britain's University of Sheffield studied the impact of Varroa in Hawaii, which the mites have only recently invaded.

They found the arrival of Varroa increased the prevalence of a single type of virus, deformed wing virus (DWV), in honey bees from around 10 percent to 100 percent.

At the same time the amount of DWV virus in the bees' bodies rocketed by a millionfold and there was a huge reduction in virus diversity, with a single strain of DWV crowding out others.

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Killer Insect Virus Helping to Decimate World's Bee Population

Fred Heinly left his barbershop a few weeks ago without a haircut but took away newfound motivation to keep people from contracting hepatitis C.

A 57-year-old Bern Township resident, Heinly said he panicked when he saw his usual barber wipe a razor with a dry cloth, failing to sterilize it before moving to the next customer.

That's because Heinly had just finished intensive chemotherapy for his hepatitis C and is all too aware that the potentially deadly virus can be spread through skin nicks and scrapes.

"I want to get the word out. I don't want anyone else to get it," he said. "I think a lot of people get it and have no clue where it comes from."

Heinly is part of the baby boom generation - those between the ages of 47 and 67- that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now urging to be tested for hepatitis C.

Baby boomers are thought to be at high risk for hepatitis C because hundreds of thousands of young people are thought to have contracted it in the 1970s and '80s through intravenous drug use in the days before HIV/AIDS awareness.

About 75 percent of the estimated 3.2 million people infected with hepatitis C in the U.S. are baby boomers, and about 3 percent of boomers have the disease, the CDC reports.

In comparison, the infection rate for the U.S. population of all ages is about 1.8 percent.

The hepatitis C infection rates in Berks County might be even higher due to the prevalence of intravenous drug use in the area, according to Dr. John Altomare, who specializes in gastroenterology and hepatology, the study of the liver, and has seen numerous hepatitis C patients during the past six years.

"The population we deal with in Reading has more general drug use history, tattoos and incarceration history," he said.

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'Silient killer' seen a booming problem

week in review Massive virus targets systems in Iran, Windows 8 inches closer to launch. Also: A peek at iPhone 5?

week in review A massive and complex virus has been discovered to be lurking in the Middle East, stealing data from targeted systems.

The malware -- dubbed Flame -- is designed to steal information about targeted systems and stored files as well as computer display contents and audio conversations. The malware appears to be state-sponsored, but experts are not sure what country is behind it.

Iran was the central target for the virus, but it also impacted machines in the West Bank, Syria, and other Middle East countries, as well as Sudan. And although some media reports have linked Israel to the attack, the country has denied all involvement. Flame virus could attack other nations Behind the 'Flame' malware spying on Mideast computers (FAQ) Meet the little box that could stop Flame and Stuxnet

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Also of note Twitter usage doubled since late 2010, Pew study finds Facebook's traffic from Google and Bing takes a nosedive

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Flame malware grills Mideast computers

The federal government has announced more funding for Hendra virus research after two horses died in Queensland.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said in a statement $3 million would be dedicated to eight projects tackling different aspects of the bat-borne virus.

She said the money was going into the development of vaccines, diagnostic tools, drugs and research that examines how animals react to the virus.

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The investment follows calls for more research by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The council has identified areas for research and subjected grant applicants to rigorous review, resulting in eight proposals being selected.

Two horses have died recently in separate cases in Queensland - one at Ingham, north of Townsville, and another near Rockhampton.

Eleven people are believed to have had a low level of exposure.

The virus is believed to pass from bats to horses and from horses to humans.

It has killed four people, the latest being Rockhampton vet Alister Rodgers in 2009.

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More federal funds to research killer Hendra virus