New book provides in-depth, advanced understanding of Ebola and rabies viruses

How do we stop viruses such as Ebola and Rabies?

Significant human and animal pathogens remain major scourges to human health. Recent devastating Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa underscores the importance of understanding the biology of replication and response of host cells to infection by these pathogens.

With a group of like-minded scientists, editors Asit K Pattanaik and Michael Whitt have compiled a timely publication entitled "Biology and Pathogenesis of Rhabdo- and Filoviruses" discussing the most recent findings on processes and current status of development of vaccines and antivirals to mitigate the diseases caused by these and related viruses.

Known as rhabdoviruses and filoviruses, the Ebola and rabies viruses are single-stranded, non-segmented, negative-strand RNA viruses, many of which cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. Certain members of these virus families have been used as excellent model systems to understand the molecular biology of replication, host responses to infections, and viral countermeasures. Rhabdoviruses have also been used as vaccine vectors as well as oncolytic agents.

Studies on Filoviruses have now provided significant insights into how they enter susceptible cells, replicate and cause disease, and also how they evade the host's immune mechanisms. The book addresses the most recent findings on Rhabdovirus and Filovirus structure, replication mechanisms, host cell responses to virus infections and viral countermeasures. Chapters on emerging viruses as well as approaches for therapeutic interventions have also been included.

The book represents an authoritative text that brings together the most recent advances on the cellular and molecular biology of Rhabdo- and Filoviruses, including mechanisms of pathogenesis. It provides an in-depth, up-to-date and advanced understanding of two related families of viruses, the Rhabdoviridae and the Filoviridae. Many members of these two families cause important diseases in humans and animals. Eminent scientists from around the world have contributed chapters in the book.

The book is organized into several major thematic areas: (i) virus structure, genome organization, and replication strategy, (ii) epidemiology, evolution, and emerging viruses, (iii) host responses to virus infections, viral countermeasures and pathogenic mechanisms, (iv) vaccines and antivirals against these viruses, and (v) applications of designer viruses for development novel therapeutics and basic understanding of cellular processes. Multiple chapters cover each of these areas on the two families of viruses. With the world attention currently focused on Ebola in West Africa, one of the chapters in the book is also exclusively devoted to the current situation and status of development of vaccines and antivirals for Ebola virus.

Source: World Scientific