Antiviral Treatment for Cytomegalovirus Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Cytomegalovirus is a beta-herpesvirus that has evolved to exist in human populations, with a seroprevalence ranging from 50% to near-universal seropositivity among adult populations worldwide. However, in special populations such as the immunocompromised host or the infected fetus, cytomegalovirus can cause viral disease, long-term disabilities, and even death. The historical mainstays of antiviral drug therapy against cytomegalovirus have included ganciclovir, valganciclovir, cidofovir, and foscarnet, but their effectiveness may be influenced by viral mutations, differences in host metabolism (pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics), and drug interactions in various clinical settings. Recently, new antivirals have been approved or are in Phase I-III clinical trials for CMV treatment and prevention, including letermovir and maribavir, as are emerging approaches that utilize T cell and NK cell therapies in immunocompromised hosts. Antiviral therapies are also used to mitigate the long-term neurologic consequences of congenital CMV infection, and to prevent in utero transmission among high-risk pregnant women. This Special Issue will highlight current and emerging treatments against CMV infection and specific therapeutic issues relevant to various at-risk patient groups.

Dr. Masako Shimamura
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. 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 2600 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.