Virus-Host Interactions of Zika Virus

Dear Colleagues,

Diseases caused by viruses are some of the most important public health issues world-wide. Emerging and re-emerging viruses pose the constant threat of epidemics with the potential to cause suffering in those afflicted by them. The recent and devastating epidemic of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas is a prominent example. The ZIKV epidemic showcased the rapid spread of viral infections across continents, affecting thousands of individuals. ZIKV, initially discovered in the Zika forest in Uganda in 1947, is a mosquito borne flavivirus and a re-emerging human pathogen. In immunocompetent adults, ZIKV causes subclinical manifestations with mild symptoms, and is often rapidly resolved. Infection during pregnancy, however, results in devastating effects in the fetus, specifically microcephaly, craniofacial malformations, joint and muscle defects, ocular abnormalities and fetal demise. The wide-range of the ZIKV mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, coupled to globalization and climate change, has transformed ZIKV into a public health threat for large geographical areas in the Americas and Africa, and some regions in Europe, Asia and Australia. The fast and vast spread of the virus and severe effects of ZIKV infection in one of the most vulnerable populations, pregnant mothers and the unborn, makes vector control, disease characterization, and the development of vaccines and new therapies, pressing matters world-wide. To maximize our chances of success when combating ZIKV, we must first deeply understand the biology of the virus, revealing all possible strategies and molecular details. Investigating ZIKV-host interactions will undoubtedly help guiding our efforts in controlling this terrible disease. We have made considerable advances in the last two years, with the characterization of the ZIKV target cells in the mother and the fetus, the elucidation of host factors essential for infection by genome-wide CRISPR screens, the development of potential vaccines, and identification of potential treatments. Despite this progress, many aspects of the biology of ZIKV remain to be explored, and potential therapies are still underdeveloped. ZIKV biology offers unprecedented fertile ground for impactful research, for instance, on the effects of co-infection in disease, the safety of potential vaccines and therapies, the specificity of target cells and the strategies for viral entry, and the molecular mechanisms used by ZIKV to control the host. In this special issue, of “Virus-host interactions of Zika Virus” we invite submissions of primary research and review articles addressing all aspects of ZIKV infection. This will include molecular biology of host-cellvirus interactions, immunology of ZIKV infection, characterization of clinical manifestations, epidemiology, vector control, diagnosis, and vaccine and treatment development. We look forward to your submissions.

Dr. Carolina Arias
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Pathogens 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 2200 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.