Current Understanding of West Nile Virus Clinical Manifestations, Immune Responses, Neuroinvasion, and Immunotherapeutic Implications

Fengwei Bai; E Ashley Thompson; Parminder J S Vig; A Arturo Leis

doi:10.3390/pathogens8040193

Current Understanding of West Nile Virus Clinical Manifestations, Immune Responses, Neuroinvasion, and Immunotherapeutic Implications

Pathogens. 2019 Oct 16;8(4):193. doi: 10.3390/pathogens8040193.

Authors

Fengwei Bai¹, E Ashley Thompson², Parminder J S Vig³, A Arturo Leis⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA. fengwei.bai@usm.edu.
² Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA. elizabeth.a.thompson@usm.edu.
³ Departments of Neurology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA. pvig@umc.edu.
⁴ Methodist Rehabilitation Center, Jackson, MS 39216, USA. aleis@mmrcrehab.org.

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is the most common mosquito-borne virus in North America. WNV-associated neuroinvasive disease affects all ages, although elderly and immunocompromised individuals are particularly at risk. WNV neuroinvasive disease has killed over 2300 Americans since WNV entered into the United States in the New York City outbreak of 1999. Despite 20 years of intensive laboratory and clinical research, there are still no approved vaccines or antivirals available for human use. However, rapid progress has been made in both understanding the pathogenesis of WNV and treatment in clinical practices. This review summarizes our current understanding of WNV infection in terms of human clinical manifestations, host immune responses, neuroinvasion, and therapeutic interventions.

Keywords: West Nile virus; clinical manifestation; immune response; neuroinvasion; therapeutic implication.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

Publication types

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