Researching West Nile Virus

Well here's my blog that I spent my free time writing, during reading week and our week off from classes. As I had other homework to do, I thought I would do the efficient thing and combine it with my blog! I'm writing a paper on West Nile Virus, which may not sound overly interesting, but it depends on what perspective you look at it with. Here's a bit of information in case you are curious. It is from the genus Flavivvirus. This virus is transferred between hosts by mosquitos, which feed on a wide variety of animals; including humans. Birds serve as the amplifier hosts but horses and humans can also be infected.

Blue Jay photo
curtesy of Briana Carlyon

Jays, magpies and crows serve as sign of the virus's locality because the severe illness causes high mortality. Other animals are dead-end-hosts for the virus, meaning that you cannot get the virus from a person with West Nile Virus. The virus causes fevers, rashes and neurological damage in humans; the majority of people that get the virus are elderly.

Crow Photo curtesy of Briana Carlyon

Inititally it was difficult to find any reliable sources for information (ie. peer-reviewed articles and/or ones from trusted journals) but as I kept searching, trying sites like PubMed and PLoS it became easier to find the information I needed. One really informative article about the pathology of the virus was really helpful because it enabled me to gain a basic understanding and then continue on with further, in-depth research. The UAlberta Library site was the first place I searched because it has been reliable in supplying me with relevant, peer-reviewed articles. This time, no such luck. In order to search more effectively, I will have to search different key words and other trusted sites. Researching and finding dependable articles for writing papers takes a lot of time, but as you gain experience in searching it becomes easier and more efficient.


In Cassandra's blog, she discusses the debate about how technology could be ruining or helping the English language. The shorthand language of texting and chatting online (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) can be harmful or be helpful. This is a prime example of technology is evolving at a super fast rate. Before when researching for papers, you would have to actually check out the hardcopy of the journal from your library. Now, you can do all your research online from your own room, no need to go trekking to the library to do all your research. All or most journals publish their articles online so they can be more accessible to a wide range of audiences. Yay for technology!

References:

Madden, K. (2003). West Nile Virus Infection and its Neurological Manifestation. Clinical Medicine and Research, 1(2), 145-150. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1069038/ Accessed: February 29, 2012