Measles Virus
Sibylle Schneider-Schaulies and W. Paul Duprex
from: The Biology of Paramyxoviruses (Edited by: Siba K. Samal). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2011)
Abstract
Measles virus (MV) infections continue to be of high clinical relevance as they can be associated with severe disease processes such as pneumonia and central nervous system (CNS) complications, but also because they cause a generalized transient immunosuppression. Though characterized and causatively linked to MV decades ago, the pathogenesis of these diseases including the prime target cells in the respiratory tract is far from being understood. The advent of reverse genetics systems for both vaccine and wild-type viruses alongside the establishment of suitable tissue culture and animal models has helped to provide new insights into mechanisms of viral entry and tissue targeting both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, there is an increasing understanding of mechanisms underlying the disruption of immune functions towards secondary infections in the face of the induction of an efficient virus-specific immune response. For the latter, the interaction of MV with professional antigen-presenting cells and the consequences for T cell activation and/or inhibition, have received particular attention. The detailed knowledge of MV gene functions together with the definition of the interaction of MV with cells of the hematopoietic system is critical to improve the success of vaccination, particularly in young infants and in immunocompromised individuals, but also to use MV as a vector for targeted gene therapy read more ...
