Editorial: Host-Pathogen Interactions During Arboviral Infections
March 2019
in “
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
”
TLDR Understanding how our bodies interact with mosquito-borne viruses is crucial because there are few treatments and vaccines.
The March 2019 editorial emphasized the importance of research into host-pathogen interactions for arboviral infections such as West Nile virus, Zika virus, and dengue virus, due to the lack of effective post-exposure treatments and limited vaccines. It discussed the threat these flaviviruses pose, the role of climate change in expanding mosquito vectors, and the need to understand immune responses and pathogenesis. Topics covered included the transmission role of small mammals, the significance of host lipids in viral replication, and the use of systems biology to study virus-host interactions. Additionally, the editorial addressed the risk of antibody-dependent enhancement in Zika virus infections and highlighted the necessity for developing medical countermeasures to reduce the impact of these diseases.
