Zika Virus and Host Interactions
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2019) | Viewed by 74272
Special Issue Editors
Interests: RNA virus; host interactions; RNA interference pathways
Interests: arboviruses; virus-host interaction; innate immunity
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Zika virus is the mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that was responsible for a recent pandemic in the Americas. Brazil was at the epicenter of this outbreak and experienced an inordinate number of babies born with microcephaly and other neurological disorders. In addition to being a teratogenic agent, Zika virus infection is linked to increased risk of Guillain–Barré syndrome in adults. Although the virus was discovered over 70 years ago in Africa, prior to the 2015/2016 outbreak, very little was known about this pathogen. As such, neither specific therapeutic or prophylactic regimens are available to manage the disease. These factors led to a dramatic increase in research activity focused on Zika virus and in particular, development of vaccine candidates which are in various stages of clinical trials. While the pandemic in South and Central America has subsided, many parts of the world remain at risk for near term outbreaks due to the prevelance of mosquito vectors that transmit Zika virus and large dense urban areas with serologically naïve populations. Accordingly, to limit Zika virus-associated disease in future epidemics, it is imperative to further understand how this pathogen interacts with different host cell types.
The aim of this Special Issue of Cells is to showcase the latest research findings that advance our knowledge of how Zika virus targets cellular pathways to allow productive replication and establish persistence. It is anticipated that findings from these studies will lead to a molecular understanding of viral disease and form the basis for novel anti-viral therapies. We welcome submissions from the community that focus on all aspects of Zika virus–host interactions.
Prof. Tom Hobman
Dr. Anil Kumar
Dr. Daniel Limonta
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- Zika virus
- virus–host interactions
- pathogenesis
- anti-viral signaling
- replication
- immune response
- virus evolution
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