Assessment of antiviral therapeutics in animal models of Lassa fever

Bryce M Warner; Vinayakumar Siragam; Derek R Stein

doi:10.1016/j.coviro.2019.06.010

Assessment of antiviral therapeutics in animal models of Lassa fever

Curr Opin Virol. 2019 Aug:37:84-90. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2019.06.010. Epub 2019 Jul 26.

Authors

Bryce M Warner¹, Vinayakumar Siragam², Derek R Stein³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
² Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
³ Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Electronic address: derek.stein@canada.ca.

PMID: 31357140
DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2019.06.010

Abstract

Lassa virus (LASV) is an emerging zoonotic virus endemic in West Africa that can cause severe haemorrhagic Lassa fever (LF) in humans. LF recently gained international attention as a prominent infectious disease, leading to increasingly severe outbreaks in Nigeria over the past three years. Morbidity and mortality associated with LF disease in Nigeria continue to rise with 106 deaths reported in 2016, 143 in 2017 and 562 in 2018. Despite the significant health impact LF imposes on West Africa there are currently no FDA-approved therapeutics or vaccines available for treatment and prevention. This review focuses on the assessment and current state of LF antiviral therapeutics in animal models and their potential role in reducing disease burden throughout West Africa.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Africa, Western
Animals
Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use*
Disease Models, Animal*
Disease Outbreaks
Ferrets
Guinea Pigs
Lassa Fever / drug therapy*
Lassa Fever / immunology
Macaca
Mice
Virus Replication / drug effects

Substances

Antiviral Agents