Development of antiviral agents toward enterovirus 71 infection

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection remains a public health problem at a global level, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The infection normally manifests as hand-foot-mouth disease; however, it is capable of developing into potentially fatal neurological complications. There is currently no approved vaccine or antiviral substance available for the prevention or treatment of EV71 infection. This paper, thus, reviews efforts to develop or discover synthetic as well as naturally occurring compounds directed against EV71 infection. The recent achievements in cellular receptors of EV71 are also highlighted, and their contribution to the development of antiviral drugs against EV71 is discussed in this article.