Scholars@Duke

Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Goodrum, F; Lowen, AC; Lakdawala, S; Alwine, J; Casadevall, A; Imperiale, MJ; Atwood, W; Avgousti, D; Baines, J; Banfield, B; Banks, L; Lee, B ...
Published in: mBio
February 28, 2023
Published version (DOI) Link to item

Viruses have brought humanity many challenges: respiratory infection, cancer, neurological impairment and immunosuppression to name a few. Virology research over the last 60+ years has responded to reduce this disease burden with vaccines and antivirals. Despite this long history, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented attention to the field of virology. Some of this attention is focused on concern about the safe conduct of research with human pathogens. A small but vocal group of individuals has seized upon these concerns - conflating legitimate questions about safely conducting virus-related research with uncertainties over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The result has fueled public confusion and, in many instances, ill-informed condemnation of virology. With this article, we seek to promote a return to rational discourse. We explain the use of gain-of-function approaches in science, discuss the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 and outline current regulatory structures that provide oversight for virological research in the United States. By offering our expertise, we - a broad group of working virologists - seek to aid policy makers in navigating these controversial issues. Balanced, evidence-based discourse is essential to addressing public concern while maintaining and expanding much-needed research in virology.

Duke Scholars

Nicholas Scott Heaton
Author Nicholas Scott Heaton Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Stacy M. Horner
Author Stacy M. Horner Integrative Immunobiology
Micah Alan Luftig
Author Micah Alan Luftig Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

mBio

DOI

10.1128/mbio.00188-23

EISSN

2150-7511

Publication Date

February 28, 2023

Volume

14

Issue

1

Start / End Page

e0018823

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Viruses
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Respiratory Tract Infections
  • Pandemics
  • Humans
  • COVID-19
  • 3207 Medical microbiology
  • 3107 Microbiology
  • 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology
  • 0605 Microbiology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Goodrum, F., Lowen, A. C., Lakdawala, S., Alwine, J., Casadevall, A., Imperiale, M. J., … Yurochko, A. (2023). Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse. MBio, 14(1), e0018823. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00188-23
Goodrum, Felicia, Anice C. Lowen, Seema Lakdawala, James Alwine, Arturo Casadevall, Michael J. Imperiale, Walter Atwood, et al. “Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse.” MBio 14, no. 1 (February 28, 2023): e0018823. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00188-23.
Goodrum F, Lowen AC, Lakdawala S, Alwine J, Casadevall A, Imperiale MJ, et al. Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse. mBio. 2023 Feb 28;14(1):e0018823.
Goodrum, Felicia, et al. “Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse.” MBio, vol. 14, no. 1, Feb. 2023, p. e0018823. Pubmed, doi:10.1128/mbio.00188-23.
Goodrum F, Lowen AC, Lakdawala S, Alwine J, Casadevall A, Imperiale MJ, Atwood W, Avgousti D, Baines J, Banfield B, Banks L, Bhaduri-McIntosh S, Bhattacharya D, Blanco-Melo D, Bloom D, Boon A, Boulant S, Brandt C, Broadbent A, Brooke C, Cameron C, Campos S, Caposio P, Chan G, Cliffe A, Coffin J, Collins K, Damania B, Daugherty M, Debbink K, DeCaprio J, Dermody T, Dikeakos J, DiMaio D, Dinglasan R, Duprex WP, Dutch R, Elde N, Emerman M, Enquist L, Fane B, Fernandez-Sesma A, Flenniken M, Frappier L, Frieman M, Frueh K, Gack M, Gaglia M, Gallagher T, Galloway D, García-Sastre A, Geballe A, Glaunsinger B, Goff S, Greninger A, Hancock M, Harris E, Heaton N, Heise M, Heldwein E, Hogue B, Horner S, Hutchinson E, Hyser J, Jackson W, Kalejta R, Kamil J, Karst S, Kirchhoff F, Knipe D, Kowalik T, Lagunoff M, Laimins L, Langlois R, Lauring A, Lee B, Leib D, Liu S-L, Longnecker R, Lopez C, Luftig M, Lund J, Manicassamy B, McFadden G, McIntosh M, Mehle A, Miller WA, Mohr I, Moody C, Moorman N, Moscona A, Mounce B, Munger J, Münger K, Murphy E, Naghavi M, Nelson J, Neufeldt C, Nikolich J, O’Connor C, Ono A, Orenstein W, Ornelles D, Ou J-H, Parker J, Parrish C, Pekosz A, Pellett P, Pfeiffer J, Plemper R, Polyak S, Purdy J, Pyeon D, Quinones-Mateu M, Renne R, Rice C, Schoggins J, Roller R, Russell C, Sandri-Goldin R, Sapp M, Schang L, Schmid S, Schultz-Cherry S, Semler B, Shenk T, Silvestri G, Simon V, Smith G, Smith J, Spindler K, Stanifer M, Subbarao K, Sundquist W, Suthar M, Sutton T, Tai A, Tarakanova V, tenOever B, Tibbetts S, Tompkins S, Toth Z, van Doorslaer K, Vignuzzi M, Wallace N, Walsh D, Weekes M, Weinberg J, Weitzman M, Weller S, Whelan S, White E, Williams B, Wobus C, Wong S, Yurochko A. Virology under the Microscope-a Call for Rational Discourse. mBio. 2023 Feb 28;14(1):e0018823.

Published In

mBio

DOI

10.1128/mbio.00188-23

EISSN

2150-7511

Publication Date

February 28, 2023

Volume

14

Issue

1

Start / End Page

e0018823

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Viruses
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Respiratory Tract Infections
  • Pandemics
  • Humans
  • COVID-19
  • 3207 Medical microbiology
  • 3107 Microbiology
  • 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology
  • 0605 Microbiology