Disease relevance of Rift Valley Fever

• Four distinct antigenic determinants along the G2 glycoprotein encoded by the M segment RNA of the Phlebovirus Rift Valley fever virus were localized [1].
• Intravenous pretreatment of mice with glucan significantly enhanced the survival of mice challenged with either Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus or Rift Valley fever virus [2].
• Liposomal ribavirin given at a dose of either 25 or 50 mg of drug per kg of body weight protected mice against a rapidly lethal high-titer challenge with Rift Valley fever virus, whereas similar doses of free drug or empty liposomes had no detectable benefit [3].
• Combinations of ribavirin and selenazofurin were synergistic against Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis, Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever, and Pichinde viruses, with fractional inhibitory concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.4, respectively, but showed additive effects against Korean hemorrhagic fever and Rift Valley fever viruses [4].
• The S segment of Rift Valley fever virus (Bunyaviridae, Phlebovirus) codes for two proteins, the nucleoprotein N and the nonstructural protein NSs [5].

High impact information on Rift Valley Fever

• Targeting TFIIH to inhibit host cell transcription by Rift Valley Fever Virus [6].
• In the February 20 issue of Cell, report that Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) targets cellular transcriptional apparatus to inhibit RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription [6].
• Palmitoylation of cysteine 69 from the COOH-terminal of band 3 protein in the human erythrocyte membrane. Acylation occurs in the middle of the consensus sequence of F--I-IICLAVL found in band 3 protein and G2 protein of Rift Valley fever virus [7].
• Rescue of infectious rift valley fever virus entirely from cDNA, analysis of virus lacking the NSs gene, and expression of a foreign gene [8].
• Rift Valley fever in Chad [9].

Chemical compound and disease context of Rift Valley Fever

• Characterization of the Golgi retention motif of Rift Valley fever virus G(N) glycoprotein [10].
• Enhanced therapeutic efficacy of poly(ICLC) and ribavirin combinations against Rift Valley fever virus infection in mice [11].
• The prophylactic efficacy of poly(ICLC) (stabilized, synthetic, double-stranded polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid) against Rift Valley fever virus infection in Swiss-Webster mice was dependent on the treatment schedule [12].
• Enhanced efficacy of liposome-encapsulated ribavirin against Rift Valley fever virus infection in mice [3].
• The therapeutic efficacy of polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid stabilized with poly-L-lysine and carboxymethyl cellulose [poly(ICLC)] given alone or in combination with ribavirin was evaluated in Swiss Webster mice infected with Rift Valley fever virus [11].

Biological context of Rift Valley Fever

• Serial mutagenesis with 5-fluorouracil has been employed to derive an attenuated strain of Rift Valley fever virus for use as a live virus vaccine [13].

Anatomical context of Rift Valley Fever

• Clinical studies on Rift Valley fever. Part 2: Ophthalmologic and central nervous system complications [14].
• E6 Vero cells infected with Lassa fever virus (LAS), Rift Valley Fever virus (RVF), Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus (CON), Marburg virus (MBG) and the Ebola (EBO) virus strains Mayinga (May) and Boniface (Bon) were used as antigen [15].

Gene context of Rift Valley Fever

• Seroepidemiologic and virologic investigation showed active circulation of the Rift Valley fever virus, with 13 strains isolated, and 16% (range 1.5%-38%) immunoglobulin (Ig) M-positivity in sera from 90 humans and 343 animals (sheep, goats, camels, cattle, and donkeys) [16].
• Rift Valley fever virus infection among French troops in Chad [17].
• A panel of 17 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the G1 and G2 envelope glycoproteins of Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus were used to analyze the topography and functional properties of the viral antigenic sites [18].
• Experimental Rift Valley fever in West African Dwarf sheep [19].
• Clinical studies on Rift Valley fever, Part I: Acute febrile and hemorrhagic-like diseases [20].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Rift Valley Fever

• The MP12 attenuated strain of Rift Valley fever virus was obtained by 12 serial passages of a virulent isolate ZH548 in the presence of 5-fluorouracil (Caplen et al., 1985. Mutagen-directed attenuation of Rift Valley fever virus as a method for vaccine development. J. Gen. Virol., 66, 2271-2277) [21].
• Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) for diagnosis of Rift Valley fever (RVF) was evaluated by using 293 human and animal sera sampled during an RVF outbreak in Mauritania in 1998 [22].
• Sera of 381 adult people from 5 areas in Madagascar were tested by the indirect immunofluorescence method for antibodies against Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever and Rift Valley fever viruses (Bunyaviridae), Ebola (strains Zaire and Sudan) and Marburg viruses (Filoviridae), and Lassa virus (Arenaviridae) [23].
• A sucrose-acetone-extracted, Madin-Darby-bovine-kidney (MDBK)-derived Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) antigen was tested both in an indirect ELISA and a haemagglutination-inhibition test for its ability to detect serum antibodies to RVFV [24].

References