Rodent-Borne Viruses 2.0

Dear Colleagues,

Rodents represent the most diverse order of mammals and have been identified as reservoirs of a variety of viral agents. Rodents show diverse life history traits, and some species live in close proximity to human dwellings and/or domestic or zoo animals. The roles of rodents as reservoirs and vectors for pathogen transmission have probably been best studied for zoonotic viruses, while less is known about these functions for arboviruses. In addition, several new rodent-associated viruses have been discovered in recent years, which may not be zoonotic themselves but possibly affect susceptibility to zoonotic pathogens, the outcome of the infection, and/or the fitness of the rodent host. These novel viruses could serve as systems for the development of new animal models for related human pathogens.

This thematic issue aims to cover the whole spectrum of research on rodent-borne viruses, including the description of novel viruses; studies on virus–host interaction, co-infections, and involved viral and cellular factors; ecological processes shaping virus diversity and host adaptation; evolutionary processes in viruses and their rodent reservoirs; the pathogenicity of viruses in rodent reservoirs and spillover-infected species.

Prof. Dr. Gerald Heckel
Prof. Dr. Rainer Günter Ulrich
Guest Editors

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.