Novel therapeutic targets for arenavirus hemorrhagic fevers

Several members of the family Arenaviridae can cause severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans, representing a serious public health problem in endemic areas of Africa and South America. The Lassa virus is the most prevalent and dangerous arenavirus, causing over 300,000 infections per year and several th...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Garcia, Cybele, Sepúlveda, Claudia Soledad, Damonte, Elsa Beatriz
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2011
Country:Argentina
Institution:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repository:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/66763
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/66763
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Antiviral Agent
Arenavirus
Junin Virus
Lassa Virus
Therapeutic Target
Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Description
Summary:Several members of the family Arenaviridae can cause severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans, representing a serious public health problem in endemic areas of Africa and South America. The Lassa virus is the most prevalent and dangerous arenavirus, causing over 300,000 infections per year and several thousand deaths. Furthermore, pathogenic arenaviruses are considered as category A potential agents for bioterrorism. Based on the danger of arenaviruses for human health, the increased emergence of new viral species in recent years and the lack of effective tools for their control or prevention, the search for novel antiviral compounds effective against these pathogenic agents is a continuous demanding effort. This article focuses on novel strategies to identify inhibitors for arenavirus therapy, analyzing viral and host proteins essential for virus infection as potential targets for antiviral development. © 2011 Future Medicine Ltd.