Special Issue "Antivirals for Arboviruses"

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Leen Delang
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
KU Leuven Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Herestraat 49, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
Interests: arbovirology; antiviral research; infectious diseases; medical entomology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are a substantial threat to the health of humans and animals worldwide. Over the last few decades, the human population at risk for arthropod-borne infections has increased substantially. Up to 400 million people are infected every year with the dengue virus. Annually, millions of people are infected with other arboviruses such as the chikungunya virus and Zika virus. Furthermore, arboviruses are expected to become increasingly prevalent in more temperate regions such as Europe, resulting in even more people at risk.

Despite the significant burden on global health, antiviral therapies are currently not available for the treatment of arbovirus infections. Experimental inhibitors have been identified for several arboviruses, but only a few of those have advanced into clinical trials. Given the worldwide impact of arbovirus infections, the development of anti-arboviral drugs is urgently needed and expected to further gain momentum.

This Special Issue of Viruses aims to highlight recent advances in the discovery and design of new inhibitors against arboviruses. We also aim to explore new antiviral strategies for combating arbovirus infections.

Dr. Leen Delang
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 papers will be 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. Viruses 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.

Keywords

  • antiviral agents
  • broad-spectrum antivirals
  • antiviral strategies
  • drug-resistant viruses
  • host-targeting antivirals
  • arthropod-borne viruses
  • arboviruses

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

Review
Antivirals against the Chikungunya Virus
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1307; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13071307 - 05 Jul 2021
Viewed by 493
Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that has re-emerged in recent decades, causing large-scale epidemics in many parts of the world. CHIKV infection leads to a febrile disease known as chikungunya fever (CHIKF), which is characterised by severe joint pain and myalgia. [...] Read more.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that has re-emerged in recent decades, causing large-scale epidemics in many parts of the world. CHIKV infection leads to a febrile disease known as chikungunya fever (CHIKF), which is characterised by severe joint pain and myalgia. As many patients develop a painful chronic stage and neither antiviral drugs nor vaccines are available, the development of a potent CHIKV inhibiting drug is crucial for CHIKF treatment. A comprehensive summary of current antiviral research and development of small-molecule inhibitor against CHIKV is presented in this review. We highlight different approaches used for the identification of such compounds and further discuss the identification and application of promising viral and host targets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antivirals for Arboviruses)
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Review
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus: Current Advances and Future Prospects of Antiviral Strategies
Viruses 2021, 13(7), 1195; https://doi.org/10.3390/v13071195 - 22 Jun 2021
Viewed by 417
Abstract
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a widespread, tick-borne pathogen that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) with high morbidity and mortality. CCHFV is transmitted to humans through tick bites or direct contact with patients or infected animals with viremia. Currently, climate change and [...] Read more.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a widespread, tick-borne pathogen that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) with high morbidity and mortality. CCHFV is transmitted to humans through tick bites or direct contact with patients or infected animals with viremia. Currently, climate change and globalization have increased the transmission risk of this biosafety level (BSL)-4 virus. The treatment options of CCHFV infection remain limited and there is no FDA-approved vaccine or specific antivirals, which urges the identification of potential therapeutic targets and the design of CCHF therapies with greater effort. In this article, we discuss the current progress and some future directions in the development of antiviral strategies against CCHFV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antivirals for Arboviruses)
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