Pathogenicity and virulence of West Nile virus revisited eight decades after its first isolation.

ABSTRACT: West Nile virus (WNV) is a flavivirus which transmission cycle is maintained between mosquitoes and birds, although it occasionally causes sporadic outbreaks in horses and humans that can result in serious diseases and even death. Since its first isolation in Africa in 1937, WNV had been considered a neglected pathogen until its recent spread throughout Europe and the colonization of America, regions where it continues to cause outbreaks with severe neurological consequences in humans and horses. Although our knowledge about the characteristics and consequences of the virus has increased enormously lately, many questions remain to be resolved. Here, we thoroughly update our knowledge of different aspects of the WNV life cycle: virology and molecular classification, host cell interactions,

SUBMITTER: Saiz JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8043182 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature