Evasion of interferon responses by hemorrhagic fever viruses
Christopher F. Basler and Gaya K. Amarasinghe
from: Viruses and Interferon: Current Research (Edited by: Karen Mossman). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2011)
Abstract
Viral hemorrhagic fever, a clinical syndrome characterized by fever, shock and bleeding, can be caused in humans by members of several RNA virus families, including filoviruses, bunyaviruses, arenaviruses and flaviviruses. None of the hemorrhagic fever viruses uniformly cause hemorrhage in humans. However, some viruses show greater propensity to cause severe, life threatening disease than do others. Because of their potential to cause life threatening disease, these viruses are public health concerns and many of the hemorrhagic fever viruses are considered to be potential weapons of terror. Recent emphasis on these viruses has prompted research into the mechanisms by which they interact with and evade host innate immune responses, particularly antiviral interferon (IFN) responses. Research has identified a variety of mechanisms of innate immune antagonism, and data from filovirus and bunyavirus systems links these functions to virulence. This sets the stage for studies to evaluate how specific mechanisms of IFN evasion contribute to the clinical manifestations of viral hemorrhagic fever read more ...
