Interferon signaling in Peromyscus leucopus confers a potent and specific restriction to vector-borne flaviviruses.

ABSTRACT: Tick-borne flaviviruses (TBFVs), including Powassan virus and tick-borne encephalitis virus cause encephalitis or hemorrhagic fevers in humans with case-fatality rates ranging from 1-30%. Despite severe disease in humans, TBFV infection of natural rodent hosts has little noticeable effect. Currently, the basis for resistance to disease is not known. We hypothesize that the coevolution of flaviviruses with their respective hosts has shaped the evolution of potent antiviral factors that suppress virus replication and protect the host from lethal infection. In the current study, we compared virus infection between reservoir host cells and related susceptible species. Infection of primary fibroblasts from the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus, a representative host) with a panel of vecto

SUBMITTER: Izuogu AO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5484488 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature