Filovirus Pathogenesis and Immune Evasion: Insights from Ebola Virus and Marburg Virus

Overview

Journal Nat Rev Microbiol

Specialties Infectious Diseases
Microbiology

Date 2015 Oct 7

PMID 26439085

Citations 128

Authors

Ilhem Messaoudi

Gaya K Amarasinghe

Christopher F Basler

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Ebola viruses and Marburg viruses, members of the filovirus family, are zoonotic pathogens that cause severe disease in people, as highlighted by the latest Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa. Filovirus disease is characterized by uncontrolled virus replication and the activation of host responses that contribute to pathogenesis. Underlying these phenomena is the potent suppression of host innate antiviral responses, particularly the type I interferon response, by viral proteins, which allows high levels of viral replication. In this Review, we describe the mechanisms used by filoviruses to block host innate immunity and discuss the links between immune evasion and filovirus pathogenesis.

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