Washington Post
by Erin Blakemore
In a scene from the series, Roberto Cattaneo of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., explains why measles is so contagious. “Sick,” a YouTube show from Seeker, a digital publisher devoted to science, answers that question in gripping, often gross detail. The first season of the series is online now.
Reach: Weekday circulation of The Washington Post is more than 356,000.The Post's website receives more than 32.7 million unique visitors each month.
Context: Roberto Cattaneo, Ph.D., studies measles and other small enveloped RNA viruses with the primary goal of generating new knowledge. Viruses have evolved to rapidly spread through organisms. They cause disease by targeting sequentially specific cell types and proteins that control cell function. Dr. Cattaneo's Mayo Clinic research team recently discovered why measles virus is extremely contagious: it uses a protein selectively expressed in the trachea to emerge from the host at a location facilitating aerosol droplet release through coughing and sneezing.
Contact: Bob Nellis
Tags: Dr. Roberto Cattaneo, measles virus, Sick and YouTube, Uncategorized, Washington Post