>
> > use dsRNA to harness one arm of the host antiviral machinery for
> silencing a specific target gene.


Pete, you appear to be mixing apples and oranges here!
RNAi was discovered as a means by which plants fight viruses; later
discovered to be common to all multicelled organisms. This is a natural
antiviral response.

Once this was discovered, researchers realized that the same mechanism could
also be used for gene silencing--e.g., for medical use or genetic research,
in order to stop any gene from expressing the protein that it encodes for.

These are similar, but very different applications--antiviral response or
gene silencing.

The fears that you cite refer to gene silencing, not to the antiviral
response.

Remebee has only to do with the antiviral response.

The treatment that you cited for nosema involves gene silencing.  This *not*
the one being offered to beekeepers.

Randy Oliver

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