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Alphavirus nsP3 as a multifunctional orchestrator of virus-host interplay | Journal of Virology
Alphaviruses are enveloped, positive-sense RNA viruses in the Togaviridae family and Alphavirus genus (1, 2). They are transmitted mainly by mosquitoes, which become infected while feeding on a viremic vertebrate host and later transmit the virus during subsequent blood meals (3). For a successful transmission cycle, the virus must replicate in both the mosquito and the vertebrate host. Alphaviruses infect a broad range of vertebrates, including humans, other mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles (4, 5). Their emergence, defined as the first appearance or spread into new regions, and reemergence, a resurgence after a period of decline (6), pose an increasing threat to public and animal health, as well as a substantial economic burden (7, 8). Alphaviruses are classified by the type of disease caused. Encephalitic alphaviruses include Venezuelan, western, and eastern equine encephalitis viruses (VEEV, WEEV, and EEEV). Arthritogenic alphaviruses include Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), o'nyong-nyong virus (ONNV), and Ross River virus (RRV) (1), among others.
