Insect-borne viruses suppress? the immune system to cause disease

Arboviruses - viruses transmitted by insects such as mosquitoes - pose a considerable threat to both human and animal health. Despite that, not enough is known about the complex interactions between the virus and the host, particularly in the early stages of infection. Prof Massimo Palmarini and Eleonora Melzi discuss their work Now, research led by the University of Glasgow has discovered how arboviruses are able to suppress the immune system responses in the initial stages of infection. The findings could aid better understanding of how arboviruses cause disease and ultimately help to combat these infections. The team used the Bluetongue Virus (BTV) - a disease which, though not a threat to humans can be devastating in sheep and other ruminants - to reveal how an arbovirus first interacts with its host after initial infection. The research found that BTV subverted the host's immune system by inducing a temporary immunosuppression (suppression of the immune system's natural response) resulting in a delayed antibody production. The study reveals that BTV enters the animal's system through the skin via a midge bite, and then travels to the lymph nodes where it begins to suppress the natural immune system response.