Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
08:36
Measuring Dengue Virus RNA in the Culture Supernatant of Infected Cells by Real-time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction
Published on: November 1, 2018
Dengue virus virulence and transmission determinants
1Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA. rricoh@sfbr.org
Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
|October 6, 2009
Summary
Understanding dengue virus (DENV) pathogenesis is crucial. New models reveal specific DENV genotypes drive severe epidemics and global spread, impacting public health.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Epidemiology
- Pathogenesis
Background:
- Dengue virus (DENV) pathogenesis mechanisms are poorly understood due to a lack of suitable disease models.
- Human dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) symptoms are primarily observed in humans, limiting research.
- DENV diversity (serotypes and genotypes) complicates evaluating virulence and transmissibility, key epidemiological factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of specific DENV genotypes in severe epidemic causation and global dissemination.
- To utilize novel models for assessing viral determinants of DENV pathogenesis and epidemiology.
- To understand the impact of viral replication, human immunity, and mosquito transmission on DENV epidemics.
Main Methods:
- Development and application of new models, including primary human cell cultures, humanized mice, and field-collected mosquitoes.
- Utilizing mathematical models to estimate the influence of viral replication, human immunity, and mosquito transmission on epidemic dynamics.
- Analysis of epidemiological and evolutionary data to identify viral factors contributing to disease severity.
Main Results:
- Recently developed models provide evidence for the importance of specific DENV genotypes in causing severe epidemics and intercontinental spread.
- DENV evolution appears relatively slow, with stable, replication-fit genotypes playing a significant role in severe epidemic causation.
- Mathematical models help quantify the complex interplay of viral, host, and vector factors in DENV epidemiology.
Conclusions:
- Specific DENV genotypes are critical drivers of severe epidemics and global spread.
- Stable, replication-fit genotypes are more significant in causing severe dengue epidemics than rapid viral evolution.
- Further research measuring virulence and transmissibility under diverse conditions is needed to resolve ongoing controversies in DENV pathogenesis and epidemiology.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Determinants of Bacterial Pathogenicity and Virulence
Pathogenic bacteria employ a variety of strategies to establish infections, including the secretion of extracellular enzymes that act as potent virulence factors. These enzymes facilitate bacterial colonization of host tissues and help evade immune surveillance. By targeting structural components of host tissues and interfering with immune mechanisms, these enzymes play a pivotal role in disease progression.Extracellular Enzymes Facilitating Tissue Invasion: Several bacterial pathogens secrete...
01:25Arboviral Encephalitis
Arboviral encephalitis refers to brain inflammation caused by arthropod-borne viruses, particularly those transmitted through mosquito vectors. Among these, West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is a significant public health concern. WNV is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus. Human infection typically begins when an infected mosquito introduces the virus into the dermis during feeding. The primary transmission cycle involves birds as amplifying hosts...
01:29Malaria
Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
01:18Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is a viral hemorrhagic disease caused by the yellow fever virus (YFV), a member of the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted primarily by Aedes and Haemagogus mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and South America. After transmission through a mosquito bite, the virus initially replicates in skin-resident immune cells such as dendritic cells and macrophages. These cells then migrate to the lymph nodes, where viral replication increases, eventually leading to...
01:28Regulation of Bacterial Virulence
Pathogenic bacteria employ a range of regulatory mechanisms to modulate the expression of virulence genes in response to environmental and host-derived signals. These mechanisms ensure that virulence factors are expressed only under favorable conditions, thereby optimizing infection and survival strategies.Mechanisms of Virulence RegulationKey regulatory strategies include:Two-Component Systems: These consist of a membrane-bound sensor kinase and a cytoplasmic response regulator. Environmental...
01:25Inhibitors Of Virion Release
Viral replication and dissemination rely on efficient mechanisms for host cell entry, genome replication, assembly, and release. Influenza viruses, such as types A and B, are negative-sense single-stranded RNA viruses with a segmented genome, that depend on two critical surface glycoproteins to carry out these processes: hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). HA initiates infection by binding to sialic acid residues on the surface of host epithelial cells, facilitating receptor-mediated...