Analysis of Dengue Virus Genetic Diversity during Human and Mosquito Infection Reveals Genetic Constraints.

ABSTRACT: Dengue viruses (DENV) cause debilitating and potentially life-threatening acute disease throughout the tropical world. While drug development efforts are underway, there are concerns that resistant strains will emerge rapidly. Indeed, antiviral drugs that target even conserved regions in other RNA viruses lose efficacy over time as the virus mutates. Here, we sought to determine if there are regions in the DENV genome that are not only evolutionarily conserved but genetically constrained in their ability to mutate and could hence serve as better antiviral targets. High-throughput sequencing of DENV-1 genome directly from twelve, paired dengue patients' sera and then passaging these sera into the two primary mosquito vectors showed consistent and distinct sequence changes during infection.

SUBMITTER: Sessions OM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4556638 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature