Hijacked: The role of platelets in dengue virus infection revealed

What is this research about?

Dengue is the most common virus spread by insects. Typically transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquitoes (like its close cousins West Nile virus and Zika virus), symptoms range from mild flu-like symptoms to, in rare cases, severe hemorrhagic fever, which can be fatal. The global burden of dengue virus is considerable: Approximately 2.5 billion people are at risk and almost 400 million people are infected every year — about 25,000 die. Although mostly in tropical and subtropical regions, travel and increasing globalization means dengue can be found worldwide. Like all viruses, dengue needs another living organism — a host — in order to reproduce and survive. Viruses enter the host’s cells and use the cell’s internal machinery to replicate their own genetic material (in the case of dengue, singlestranded RNA).

Published on