Treatment of arenavirus infections: From basic studies to the challenge of antiviral therapy

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the present state and perspectives of antiviral therapy for arenavirus infections in relation to the dramatic increase in virus emergence during the last decade. Because of the very high case-fatality rates in patients with Lassa fever, and the continuing appearance of new viruses in North and South America, including agents responsible for severe human infections, control through chemotherapy warrants special attention. Arenaviruses are enveloped, single-stranded, ambisense RNA viruses with a segmented genome consisting of two segments, designated large (L) and small (S). They are rodent-associated viruses with one exception, Tacaribe virus (TCRV), which infects bats of the genus Artibeus . They are zoonotic agents that can cause severe human diseases, known as the hemorrhagic fevers, occurring in regions of South America. The replicative cycle of arenaviruses comprises a number of steps that could be considered adequate targets for chemotherapeutic intervention. Numerous compounds have been reported to inhibit the replication of arenaviruses acting at the early stages of attachment and entry, the biosynthetic processes of replication and transcription, or the late steps of maturation, exocytosis, and budding. Numerous efforts have been devoted to obtain safe vaccines for protecting the population against hemorrhagic fever agents.