Virus may jump species through 'rock-and-roll' motion with receptors

Like a janitor thumbing through a keychain to find just the right key to open a lock, the "rock-and-roll" motion of the canine parvovirus during the binding process may help explain how the virus can find the spot on a receptor to infect not just dogs, but multiple species, according to an international team of researchers.

Researchers report the rock-and-roll motion of the canine parvovirus when it comes in contact with the transferrin receptor receptor offers hints at how the disease was able to evolve and strike several different species. IMAGE: DARYL BRANFORD-HUCK LIFE SCIENCES