While vaccines for prevention of many viral illnesses are a significant benefit for the public health, there remains a critical need for therapeutics that are capable of addressing host targets and not simply searching for new antivirals, new monoclonal antibodies, IL-6 inhibitors and “hammer-style” steroids to suppress the host response. They all require vast resources and immune escape is the norm when science fails to address critical targets. There are candidates in the repurposed “cabinet” that have great potential and decades of safety data as well.
Andes virus seems to be quite stable as comparisons of genomes in infected people across decades show remarkable similarity, so in that sense, escape might not be a major concern, but the lack of well-defined safe and effective treatments is certainly an issue.
There is a host-target defense based upon sound molecular mechanisms common to many viral-host interactions, Covid-19, Dengue, and perhaps this hantavirus. Ref: Burke, Hibbs, Changeux et al
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.032
Deering Brose et al doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.08.021 PMID: 30245242
Yes, but it is not all rodents that are risks for transmission. There are relatively few reservoir species, and not all rodents do well with infection such that they can function as reservoirs (Syrian hamsters, for example, get quite sick).
While vaccines for prevention of many viral illnesses are a significant benefit for the public health, there remains a critical need for therapeutics that are capable of addressing host targets and not simply searching for new antivirals, new monoclonal antibodies, IL-6 inhibitors and “hammer-style” steroids to suppress the host response. They all require vast resources and immune escape is the norm when science fails to address critical targets. There are candidates in the repurposed “cabinet” that have great potential and decades of safety data as well.
Andes virus seems to be quite stable as comparisons of genomes in infected people across decades show remarkable similarity, so in that sense, escape might not be a major concern, but the lack of well-defined safe and effective treatments is certainly an issue.
There is a host-target defense based upon sound molecular mechanisms common to many viral-host interactions, Covid-19, Dengue, and perhaps this hantavirus. Ref: Burke, Hibbs, Changeux et al
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.032
Deering Brose et al doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.08.021 PMID: 30245242
Not to be spreading misinformation but some may recognize that rodents as a class of animals are very diverse. Wiki notes:
Mice House mouse, field mouse
Rats Brown rat, black rat
Beavers North American beaver
Hamsters Syrian hamster, dwarf hamster
Guinea Pigs American guinea pig, Peruvian guinea pig
Chipmunks Eastern chipmunk, Siberian chipmunk
Prairie Dogs Black-tailed prairie dog, white-tailed prairie dog
Marmots Groundhog, yellow-bellied marmot
Rodent Characteristics
Rodents are characterized by their continuously growing incisors, which require constant gnawing to keep them from overgrowing.
They are found in a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and urban areas.
Rodents make up about 40% of all mammal species worldwide, with approximately 2,360 species identified.
Yes, but it is not all rodents that are risks for transmission. There are relatively few reservoir species, and not all rodents do well with infection such that they can function as reservoirs (Syrian hamsters, for example, get quite sick).