DENV Infection: a comprehensive review and framework for experimentation to assess new therapeutics

Abstract

The Dengue virus (DENV) infects millions of people worldwide, particularly in countries with high populations of mosquitoes. It belongs to the Flavivirus family and causes severe, sometimes fatal symptoms. When a person first becomes infected, they may experience mild symptoms such as a fever and a skin rash (maculopapular) around the body. If not treated, the patient may experience hemorrhagic fever, which is potentially caused by a low platelet count. The symptoms of hemorrhagic fever include internal bleeding of vital organs such as the intestines and the liver. If not treated, the patient will go into shock due to significant loss of blood. This could eventually result in the death of the patient. Currently, there is no widely available vaccine/medicine to prevent or treat DENV infection, nor is there any pharmaceutical option to mitigate the symptoms. We are surveying scientific literature to identify and assess possible molecular compounds that can inhibit infection by DENV. Many studies have been conducted in cell culture, which gives us quantitative information about the kinetics of the binding of the DENV proteins to cells. We can use this information to gauge how well certain compounds can prevent DENV attachment that will eventually cause infections in humans. We will not only survey the literature but also propose ideas for how scientific experiments could be performed to improve our understanding of possible pharmaceutical interventions.