Epidemics to eradication: the modern history of poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis has afflicted humankind since antiquity, and for nearly a century we have known the causative agent, poliovirus. This pathogen is an enterovirus that in recent history has been the source of a great deal of human suffering. Although comparatively small, its genome is packed with sufficient information to make it a formidable pathogen. In the last 20 years the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has proven successful in greatly diminishing the number of cases worldwide but has encountered obstacles in its path which have made halting the transmission of wild polioviruses a practical impossibility. As we begin to realize that a change in strategy may be crucial in achieving success in this venture, it is imperative that we critically evaluate what is known about the molecular biology of this pathogen and the intricacies of its interaction with its host so that in future attempts we may better equipped to more effectively combat this important human pathogen.
Whether accidentally or not, over centuries poliovirus has evolved to specifically target alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord of its human host, thereby causing acute flaccid paralysis, the characteristic sign of paralytic poliomyelitis. Fortunately, since its inception in 1988, the WHO’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative, along with great economic and intellectual efforts, has served to greatly reduce the number of documented cases of poliomyelitis worldwide. Nonetheless, the ultimate goal of halting poliovirus transmission as a means of eradicating poliomyelitis has proven rather elusive. In light of this realization and considering the possibility that a virus that can be synthesized may never truly be considered eradicated, it is imperative that new strategies to combat poliovirus be considered, whether these be in the form of the development of new vaccines and/or anti-viral drugs. In this endeavor it is important that aspects of the pathogenesis of this virus, such as interactions with host factors that play roles in replication and/or translation of the viral genome be identified, as well as sites of primary replication and the mechanism(s) of CNS invasion be more clearly elucidated. For it is only by understanding the intricacies of the life cycle of this pathogen within the human host that we will be able to more effectively develop new treatment modalities.
Epidemics to eradication: the modern history of poliomyelitis
Virology Journal 2007, 4: 70
[...] Epidemics to eradication: the modern history of poliomyelitis [...]
[...] Epidemics to eradication: the modern history of poliomyelitis [...]
[...] Epidemics to eradication: the modern history of poliomyelitis [...]
[...] Epidemics to eradication: the modern history of poliomyelitis [...]