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Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Arbovirus Infections As Screening Tools for the Identification of Viral Immunomodulators and Host Antiviral Factors
Published on: September 13, 2018
Synergistic antiviral effect of asunaprevir and ribavirin in combination against Murray Valley encephalitis virus
Guanglei Zhou1, Nihua Dong2, Julio Carrera Montoya3
1Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology (MOE/NHC/CAMS), Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Pathogenic Microorganisms and Infection, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus known for causing severe neurological diseases in humans. Despite the rising number of reported infections and high mortality rate among hospitalized patients, no antiviral therapies or licensed vaccines are available. To strengthen preparedness against this reemerging virus, we establish a subgenomic replicon (SGR) platform and a complementary single-round infectious particles (SRIPs) production system, using widely circulating genotype 1 (G1) MVEV as backbone. Stem-loop I(SLI) from 3'UTR stands for the major difference among 4 MVEV genotypes and removal of SLI resulted in mild decrease of genome replication. Through screening a mini anti-flavivirus drug library, we identified that asunaprevir (ASV) and ribavirin (RBV) inhibit MVEV infection independently. Combination of ASV and RBV also showed synergistic activity against MVEV. These results underscore the value of the MVEV replicon system as a versatile tool for evaluating antiviral compounds, supporting the potential of ASV and RBV as a combinatorial therapeutic approach.
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