Human Hemorrhagic Fever Causing Arenaviruses: Molecular Mechanisms Contributing to Virus Virulence and Disease Pathogenesis
Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, 1988 Fitch Ave., Ste 295, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Thomas E. (Tem) Morrison
Pathogens 2015, 4(2), 283-306; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens4020283
Received: 11 April 2015
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Revised: 11 May 2015
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Accepted: 14 May 2015
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Published: 21 May 2015
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Viral Pathogenesis)
Arenaviruses include multiple human pathogens ranging from the low-risk lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) to highly virulent hemorrhagic fever (HF) causing viruses such as Lassa (LASV), Junin (JUNV), Machupo (MACV), Lujo (LUJV), Sabia (SABV), Guanarito (GTOV), and Chapare (CHPV), for which there are limited preventative and therapeutic measures. Why some arenaviruses can cause virulent human infections while others cannot, even though they are isolated from the same rodent hosts, is an enigma. Recent studies have revealed several potential pathogenic mechanisms of arenaviruses, including factors that increase viral replication capacity and suppress host innate immunity, which leads to high viremia and generalized immune suppression as the hallmarks of severe and lethal arenaviral HF diseases. This review summarizes current knowledge of the roles of each of the four viral proteins and some known cellular factors in the pathogenesis of arenaviral HF as well as of some human primary cell-culture and animal models that lend themselves to studying arenavirus-induced HF disease pathogenesis. Knowledge gained from these studies can be applied towards the development of novel therapeutics and vaccines against these deadly human pathogens.
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Keywords:
arenaviruses; Lassa virus; Junin virus; pathogenic mechanisms; immune evasion; virus replication
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MDPI and ACS Style
Shao, J.; Liang, Y.; Ly, H. Human Hemorrhagic Fever Causing Arenaviruses: Molecular Mechanisms Contributing to Virus Virulence and Disease Pathogenesis. Pathogens 2015, 4, 283-306. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens4020283
AMA Style
Shao J, Liang Y, Ly H. Human Hemorrhagic Fever Causing Arenaviruses: Molecular Mechanisms Contributing to Virus Virulence and Disease Pathogenesis. Pathogens. 2015; 4(2):283-306. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens4020283
Chicago/Turabian StyleShao, Junjie, Yuying Liang, and Hinh Ly. 2015. "Human Hemorrhagic Fever Causing Arenaviruses: Molecular Mechanisms Contributing to Virus Virulence and Disease Pathogenesis" Pathogens 4, no. 2: 283-306. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens4020283
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