Encephalitis due to emerging viruses: CNS innate immunity and potential therapeutic targets

The emerging viruses represent a group of pathogens that are intimately connected to a diverse range of animal vectors. The recent escalation of air travel climate change and urbanization has meant humans will have increased risk of contacting these pathogens resulting in serious CNS infections. Many RNA viruses enter the CNS by evading the BBB due to axonal transport from the periphery. The systemic adaptive and CNS innate immune systems express pattern recognition receptors PRR (TLRs, RiG-1 and MDA-5) that detect viral nucleic acids and initiate host antiviral response. However, several emerging viruses (West Nile Fever, Influenza A, Enterovirus 71 Ebola) are recognized and internalized by host cell receptors (TLR, MMR, DC-SIGN, CD162 and Scavenger receptor B) and escape immuno surveillance by the host systemic and innate immune systems. Many RNA viruses express viral proteins WNF (E protein), Influenza A (NS1), EV71 (protein 3C), Rabies (Glycoprotein), Ebola proteins (VP24 and VP 35) that inhibit the host cell anti-virus Interferon type I response promoting virus replication and encephalitis. The therapeutic use of RNA interference methodologies to silence gene expression of viral peptides and treat emerging virus infection of the CNS is discussed. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The British Infection Association.