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Arthropod-Borne Flavivirus Infections: One-Health Approaches in Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment

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A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 4280

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Irena Tabain

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Guest Editor

Department of Virology, Croatian Institute of Public Health, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: respiratory viruses; arboviruses; enteroviruses; zoonoses; microbiology

Dr. Vladimir Savic

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Poultry Center, Croatian Veterinary Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: flaviviruses; influenza viruses; zoonoses; avian viruses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Flaviviruses are arthropod-borne RNA viruses that can infect humans. Although these viruses mostly cause asymptomatic infections, they can also cause febrile illnesses with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations, from mild to potentially severe, including encephalitis, hepatitis, renal failure, vascular shock syndrome, congenital abnormalities, and death.

Mosquito-borne flaviviruses such as dengue virus and West Nile virus have shown extensive spread and epidemic transmission globally in the last several decades, and they annually infect up to several hundred million people. Yellow fever virus remains endemic in many parts of the world, despite the availability of an effective vaccine. Zika virus usually causes asymptomatic infections but may cause severe congenital malformations if infection occurs during pregnancy.

Tick-borne flaviviruses are principally located in regions of Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, northern China, and Japan. This group includes the tick-borne encephalitis virus which causes several thousand human cases per year. However, the number of cases is increasing due to climate changes, population dynamics, the range of permissive ticks, and shifts in land usage.

However, some neglected flaviviruses such as the Usutu virus may emerge and re-emerge and represent a public health risk.

The transmission of arboviruses depends on vector biology and climate anomalies. It is important to prevent, detect and treat vector-borne flavivirus infections since the combined effect of the COVID-19 and flavivirus outbreaks could seriously impact populations at risk. Since it is difficult to predict the emergence or re-emergence of a particular pathogen in the human population, it is important to raise awareness among healthcare workers to consider the differential diagnosis of flavivirus infections in people living in or returning from endemic areas. However, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to better understand this field. Therefore, it is important to implement the “One Health” approach from disciplines concerning animal, human and environmental health to reduce the disease burden.

We would like to invite colleagues investigating any of the arthropod-borne flaviviruses within the areas of their ecology, genomics, immunology, detection, public health, and epidemiology to submit their manuscripts to this Special Issue in the form of original research and reviews.

Dr. Irena Tabain
Dr. Vladimir Savic
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 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. Pathogens 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 2700 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

flavivirus
epidemiology
arboviruses
one health
arthropod vector

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2324 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utility of an In-Vitro Micro-Neutralizing Test in Comparison to a Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test for Dengue Virus, Japanese Encephalitis Virus, and Zika Virus Serology and Drug Screening

by Kazumi Haga, Zhenying (Nancy) Chen, Misao Himeno, Ryuichi Majima and Meng Ling Moi

Pathogens 2024, 13(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13010008 - 20 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1093

Abstract

Flavivirus infections, including dengue virus (DENV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and Zika virus (ZIKV), present significant global public health challenges. For successful vaccine design, the assessment of neutralizing antibody activity requires reliable and robust methodologies for determining antibody titers. Although the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) is commonly acknowledged as the gold standard, it has limitations in terms of time and cost, and its usage may be limited in resource-limited settings. To address these challenges, we introduced the micro-neutralization test (MNT) as a simplified alternative to the PRNT. The MNT employs a 96-well plate format, conducts microscale neutralization assays, and assesses cell viability by dissolving cells to create a uniform color solution, which is measured with a spectrometer. In this study, we evaluated the utility of the MNT by contrasting the end-point titers of the MNT and PRNT using 4 monoclonal antibodies, 15 non-human primate serum samples, and 2 therapeutic drug candidates across flaviviruses. The results demonstrated a strong correlation between the MNT and PRNT titers, affirming the robustness and reproducibility of the MNT for evaluating control measures against flaviviruses. This research contributes valuable insights toward the development of a cost-effective antibody titer testing approach that is particularly suitable for resource-limited settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod-Borne Flavivirus Infections: One-Health Approaches in Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment)

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Review

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18 pages, 2377 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Dynamic Landscape of Capsid Proteins and Viral RNA Interactions in Flavivirus Genome Packaging and Virus Assembly

by Anastazia Jablunovsky and Joyce Jose

Pathogens 2024, 13(2), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13020120 - 28 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1719

Abstract

The Flavivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family of enveloped single-stranded RNA viruses encompasses more than 70 members, many of which cause significant disease in humans and livestock. Packaging and assembly of the flavivirus RNA genome is essential for the formation of virions, which requires intricate coordination of genomic RNA, viral structural, and nonstructural proteins in association with virus-induced, modified endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane structures. The capsid (C) protein, a small but versatile RNA-binding protein, and the positive single-stranded RNA genome are at the heart of the elusive flavivirus assembly process. The nucleocapsid core, consisting of the genomic RNA encapsidated by C proteins, buds through the ER membrane, which contains viral glycoproteins prM and E organized as trimeric spikes into the lumen, forming an immature virus. During the maturation process, which involves the low pH-mediated structural rearrangement of prM and E and furin cleavage of prM in the secretory pathway, the spiky immature virus with a partially ordered nucleocapsid core becomes a smooth, mature virus with no discernible nucleocapsid. This review focuses on the mechanisms of genome packaging and assembly by examining the structural and functional aspects of C protein and viral RNA. We review the current lexicon of critical C protein features and evaluate interactions between C and genomic RNA in the context of assembly and throughout the life cycle. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod-Borne Flavivirus Infections: One-Health Approaches in Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment)

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19 pages, 674 KiB

Open AccessReview

Arthropod-Borne Viruses in Mauritania: A Literature Review

by Abdallahi El Ghassem, Bedia Abdoullah, Jemila Deida, Mohamed Aly Ould Lemrabott, Mohamed Ouldabdallahi Moukah, Mohamed Salem Ould Ahmedou Salem, Sébastien Briolant, Leonardo K. Basco, Khyarhoum Ould Brahim and Ali Ould Mohamed Salem Boukhary

Pathogens 2023, 12(11), 1370; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12111370 - 20 Nov 2023

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Abstract

During the past four decades, recurrent outbreaks of various arthropod-borne viruses have been reported in Mauritania. This review aims to consolidate the current knowledge on the epidemiology of the major arboviruses circulating in Mauritania. Online databases including PubMed and Web of Science were used to retrieve relevant published studies. The results showed that numerous arboviral outbreaks of variable magnitude occurred in almost all 13 regions of Mauritania, with Rift Valley fever (RVF), Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), and dengue (DEN) being the most common infections. Other arboviruses causing yellow fever (YF), chikungunya (CHIK), o’nyong-nyong (ONN), Semliki Forest (SF), West Nile fever (WNF), Bagaza (BAG), Wesselsbron (WSL), and Ngari (NRI) diseases have also been found circulating in humans and/or livestock in Mauritania. The average case fatality rates of CCHF and RVF were 28.7% and 21.1%, respectively. RVF outbreaks have often occurred after unusually heavy rainfalls, while CCHF epidemics have mostly been reported during the dry season. The central and southeastern regions of the country have carried the highest burden of RVF and CCHF. Sheep, cattle, and camels are the main animal reservoirs for the RVF and CCHF viruses. Culex antennatus and Cx. poicilipes mosquitoes and Hyalomma dromedarii, H. rufipes, and Rhipicephalus everesti ticks are the main vectors of these viruses. DEN outbreaks occurred mainly in the urban settings, including in Nouakchott, the capital city, and Aedes aegypti is likely the main mosquito vector. Therefore, there is a need to implement an integrated management strategy for the prevention and control of arboviral diseases based on sensitizing the high-risk occupational groups, such as slaughterhouse workers, shepherds, and butchers for zoonotic diseases, reinforcing vector surveillance and control, introducing rapid point-of-care diagnosis of arboviruses in high-risk areas, and improving the capacities to respond rapidly when the first signs of disease outbreak are identified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod-Borne Flavivirus Infections: One-Health Approaches in Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment)

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