The July-August 2001 issue of the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Emerging Infectious Diseases (see the January 10, 1997 Scout Report) is devoted to the West Nile Virus. The journal offers a large number of articles, many focused on the virus' presence in New York and the use of birds as early warning systems for the virus. The articles also cover outbreaks in Israel, detection of the virus in...

Emerging viruses are those "whose incidence in humans has increased in the past 2 decades or threatens to increase in the near future." This week's Topic in Depth focuses on sites related to viruses, particularly those that are considered "emerging." The first site (1) is an essay by Alison Jacobson of the University of Capetown that discusses some emerging and potentially emerging viruses,...

This Web site from the American Museum of Natural History (last mentioned in the October 4, 2002 NSDL Life Sciences Report) provides an introduction to microbes, covering the three major types -- bacteria, viruses, and protists (protozoa). The site contains very brief but colorful and effective descriptions of each type of microbe. The use of animation in the Size-O-Meter feature help relate the...

The journal Nature offers this free Web focus on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), in which "Nature's reporters pose key questions about the outbreak, and assess our preparedness to deal with future viral threats." Reader will find dozens of articles, including editorials, Science Updates, and Brief Communications from the journal. The articles trace the chronology of the SARS epidemic,...

"The Big Picture Book of Viruses is intended to serve as both a catalog of virus pictures on the Internet and as an educational resource to those users seeking more information about viruses," claims the site's founder, Dr. Robert F. Garry of Tulane University School of Medicine. From the left-hand column of Big Picture Book's homepage, you can access color images of viruses by name,...

The West Nile Virus, a mosquito-borne virus that causes encephalitis in vertebrates, was only found in the Eastern Hemisphere until 1999, when it was isolated in the northeastern United States. Seven deaths and several cases of severe illness caused by the virus have raised concern for public safety in the region. Recently, a special West Nile virus surveillance program has been funded in...

Created by the Institute for Molecular Virology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this Web site offers high quality virus images that may be used for seminar presentations or any other noncommercial use. Users can choose from American Society for Virology conference poster images, enhanced EM pictures, and images of virology-related book and journal covers. Images may be searched by virus...

Given the increased concern over contagious diseases and viruses spread by various host animals and insects (such as the West Nile virus), these maps provided by the USGS are both helpful in their pragmatic applications, and for those studying the spatial distribution of the West Nile virus. The Web site begins with a brief background essay on the history of the virus, how the virus is...