Viral hemorrhagic fever: Molecular pathogenesis and current trends of disease management-an update
Vignesh Mariappan, Pooja Pratheesh, Lokesh Shanmugam, S. R. Rao, Agieshkumar Balakrishna Pillai
Abstract
Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) is a group of acute zoonotic diseases with high mortality rates caused by seven different families of viruses that infect both humans and animals. VHF is characterized by hemorrhagic manifestations and lethal platelet dysfunction, if not treated properly. Most of the VHF is transmitted to humans by different types of vectors like rodents, bats, ticks, voles, and mosquitoes. Some of the common and deadly VHF are associated with infections like Dengue, Ebola, Yellow Fever, and Hantavirus. These diseases are endemic in a certain part of the world and sometimes cause major outbreaks. Emerging and re-emerging VHF's remain a great health concern across the world due to poor prognosis and lack of specific vaccines or drugs for effective treatment. Understanding the disease pathogenesis of VHF could provide effective means for treating and monitoring the disease outcome. In this regard, the present review gives a brief overview of disease background, molecular pathogenesis of major VHF, and gaps in the understanding of disease mechanism and current trends in disease management.