Dear Colleagues,

In humans, influenza viruses continue to cause significant morbidity and mortality annually. There are four types of influenza viruses (namely, A, B, C, and D), and in recent years influenza A and B viruses have been among the most reported viruses causing illness in humans. Seasonal influenza virus infection and its severity mostly depend on the circulating influenza virus strains. The recurring infection by less severe to fatal strains of influenza virus proves the limitations of our knowledge concerning the infectivity of both A and B influenza viruses. Influenza B virus infection is less common than influenza A, but studies have shown that influenza B infection can be severe in children. 

Influenza virus exposure activates both innate and adaptive immune responses to protect the cells against the virus attack. One of the major antiviral responses is through the elicitation of chemokines and cytokines by the human body during influenza infection. If there is an imbalance in the recruitment of neutrophils and monocytes to the site of infection, there can be an increase in cytokine expression that results in unwarranted inflammation in the lungs. NK and T cells contribute to innate immunity through cytotoxic activity, and their activation and inactivation by influenza viruses might be vital.

To develop novel prevention strategies, there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the influenza virus, its immunomodulatory mechanisms in the host, and how influenza viruses adapt to this immune pressure. Researchers are coming up with new information in this field in order to understand the virology of different influenza viruses and help in dissecting the resulting host innate and adaptive immune responses following infection. This Special Issue of Pathogens is calling for research articles, review articles and short communications related to the molecular immunology, virus–host interaction, development of new antivirals and vaccines, diagnostics and epidemiology, and any other aspects of both influenza A and B viruses. We look forward to your contribution.

Dr. Sreekumar Othumpangat
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 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.

• influenza A virus
• influenza B virus
• viral life cycle
• virus-host interaction
• antivirals
• vaccine
• epidemiology
• molecular immunology