Study: Effective remedy against dengue fever enables new therapies

New scientific studies in cell cultures have shown that virus replication can be suppressed by a novel drug against dengue fever. The research results may offer the first treatment option against thismosquito-borne virus. The tests on laboratory mice showed that a newly identified compound can effectively defuse the infection. This also stops the virus from replicating to prevent severe symptoms.

A promising remedy for dengue fever identified

There is no doubt about the threat posed by the mosquito-borne dengue virus, which is estimated to infect at least 98 million people per year and is endemic in 128 countries worldwide. It can cause severe flu-like symptoms and sometimes develops into a severe fever, which can be fatal. Because four different strains exist, immune protection after one infection is not strong enough to prevent another. In addition, repeated illness is usually more serious. So far there is no treatment. Efforts are instead focused on reducing transmission. This includes a program that infects mosquitoes with resistant bacteria. A vaccine called Dengvaxia is only approved for use in some countries. However, this only works against a single strain. The remedy againstDengue Fiebercalled JNJ-A07 targets the interaction between two proteins in the virus. These are crucial for its replication.

According to the study authors, the newly discovered active ingredient was able to neutralize all four strains. The research team also found that JNJ-A07 was unlikely to face significant drug resistance challenges. Interestingly, the mutations that caused resistance also appeared to render the virus unable to replicate in mosquitoes. This could suggest that even if the virus developed resistance to JNJ-A07, it would no longer be transmissible via mosquitoes and would effectively reach a dead end in its host.This research workaccordingly have enormous potential to transform the global fight against this significant and growing public threat.