Ross River virus: molecular and cellular aspects of disease pathogenesis

NE Rulli, A Suhrbier, L Hueston, MT Heise… - Pharmacology & …, 2005 - Elsevier
NE Rulli, A Suhrbier, L Hueston, MT Heise, D Tupanceska, A Zaid, A Wilmes, K Gilmore…
Pharmacology & therapeutics, 2005Elsevier
Ross River virus (RRV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus indigenous to Australia and the
Western Pacific region and is responsible for several thousand cases of human RRV
disease (RRVD) per annum. The disease primarily involves polyarthritis/arthralgia, with
many patients also presenting with rash, myalgia, fever, and/or lethargy. The symptoms can
be debilitating at onset, but they usually resolve within 3–6 months. Recent insights into the
RRV–host relationship, associated pathology, and molecular biology of infection have …
Ross River virus (RRV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus indigenous to Australia and the Western Pacific region and is responsible for several thousand cases of human RRV disease (RRVD) per annum. The disease primarily involves polyarthritis/arthralgia, with many patients also presenting with rash, myalgia, fever, and/or lethargy. The symptoms can be debilitating at onset, but they usually resolve within 3–6 months. Recent insights into the RRV–host relationship, associated pathology, and molecular biology of infection have generated a number of potential avenues for improved treatment. Although vaccine development has been proposed, the small market size and potential for antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of disease make this approach unattractive. Recent insights into the molecular basis of RRV–ADE and the virus's ability to manipulate host inflammatory and immune responses create potential new opportunities for therapeutic invention. Such interventions should overcome virus-induced dysregulation of protective host responses to promote viral clearance and/or ameliorate inflammatory immunopathology.
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