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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Flaviviruses—Antivirals and Vaccines
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Flaviviruses—Antivirals and Vaccines

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2021) | Viewed by 7045

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Miguel A. Martín-Acebes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: vaccine; antiviral; flavivirus; West Nile virus; Zika virus; dengue virus; Usutu virus; pathogenesis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The genus Flavivirus (family Flaviviridae) is a group of small enveloped RNA viruses that are mainly transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes or ticks. Flaviviruses are responsible for a variety of diseases threatening both human and animal health. Climate change and the globalization of trade and travel, as well as changes in land use and urbanization, are contributing to the emergence (or re-emergence) of flaviviruses such as yellow fever, West Nile, dengue, and Zika viruses. Although there are already a few vaccines licensed for veterinary or human use, there is still a lack of vaccines for most flaviviruses. The complex biology of flaviviruses and the immunological crosstalk between them, which is responsible for the antibody-dependent enhancement of infection, are complicating the development and massive application of some vaccines (i.e., dengue). In addition, there is currently no antiviral therapy licensed for any flavivirus. Therefore, the development of safe and cost-affordable vaccines and antivirals constitute research priorities to combat these pathogens. These goals will only be achieved by joining efforts from multiple disciplines including virology, cell biology, epidemiology, clinicians, entomologists, immunologists, medicinal chemists, etc.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide an adequate multidisciplinary platform for the interchange of valuable information (both basic and applied research) that aids the development of efficient vaccines and antiviral therapies against flaviviruses.

As a Guest Editor of the Special Issue, I invite you to submit research articles, review articles, and short communications related to flavivirus biology and infection, vaccine development, and antiviral discovery.

Dr. Miguel A. Martín-Acebes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • flavivirus 
  • vaccine 
  • antiviral 
  • infection 
  • antibody-dependent enhancement of infection 
  • dengue virus 
  • West Nile virus 
  • Zika virus

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4787 KiB  
Article
Favipiravir (T-705) Protects IFNAR−/− Mice against Lethal Zika Virus Infection in a Sex-Dependent Manner
by Keesha Matz, Jackson Emanuel, Julie Callison, Don Gardner, Rebecca Rosenke, Reinaldo Mercado-Hernandez, Brandi N. Williamson, Heinz Feldmann and Andrea Marzi
Microorganisms 2021, 9(6), 1178; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9061178 - 29 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2261
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is an important human pathogen that has caused epidemics in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. No licensed treatments for ZIKV disease are currently available. Favipiravir (T-705; 6-fluoro-3-hydroxy-2-pyrazinecarboxamide) and ribavirin (1-(β-D-Ribofuranosyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide) are [...] Read more.
Zika virus (ZIKV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is an important human pathogen that has caused epidemics in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. No licensed treatments for ZIKV disease are currently available. Favipiravir (T-705; 6-fluoro-3-hydroxy-2-pyrazinecarboxamide) and ribavirin (1-(β-D-Ribofuranosyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide) are nucleoside analogs that have exhibited antiviral activity against a broad spectrum of RNA viruses, including some flaviviruses. In this study, we strengthened evidence for favipiravir and ribavirin inhibition of ZIKV replication in vitro. Testing in IFNAR−/− mice revealed that daily treatments of favipiravir were sufficient to provide protection against lethal ZIKV challenge in a dose-dependent manner but did not completely abrogate disease. Ribavirin, on the other hand, had no beneficial effect against ZIKV infection in this model and under the conditions examined. Combined treatment of ribavirin and favipiravir did not show improved outcomes over ribavirin alone. Surprisingly, outcome of favipiravir treatment was sex-dependent, with 87% of female but only 25% of male mice surviving lethal ZIKV infection. Since virus mutations were not associated with outcome, a sex-specific host response likely explains the observed sex difference. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flaviviruses—Antivirals and Vaccines)
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17 pages, 4048 KiB  
Article
FDA-Approved Drugs Efavirenz, Tipranavir, and Dasabuvir Inhibit Replication of Multiple Flaviviruses in Vero Cells
by Michal Stefanik, James J. Valdes, Fortunatus C. Ezebuo, Jan Haviernik, Ikemefuna C. Uzochukwu, Martina Fojtikova, Jiri Salat, Ludek Eyer and Daniel Ruzek
Microorganisms 2020, 8(4), 599; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8040599 - 20 Apr 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4088
Abstract
Vector-borne flaviviruses (VBFs) affect human health worldwide, but no approved drugs are available specifically to treat VBF-associated infections. Here, we performed in silico screening of a library of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved antiviral drugs for their interaction with Zika virus proteins. Twelve [...] Read more.
Vector-borne flaviviruses (VBFs) affect human health worldwide, but no approved drugs are available specifically to treat VBF-associated infections. Here, we performed in silico screening of a library of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved antiviral drugs for their interaction with Zika virus proteins. Twelve hit drugs were identified by the docking experiments and tested in cell-based antiviral assay systems. Efavirenz, tipranavir, and dasabuvir at micromolar concentrations were identified to inhibit all VBFs tested; i.e., two representatives of mosquito-borne flaviviruses (Zika and West Nile viruses) and one representative of flaviviruses transmitted by ticks (tick-borne encephalitis virus). The results warrant further research into these drugs, either individually or in combination, as possible pan-flavivirus inhibitors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Flaviviruses—Antivirals and Vaccines)
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