Purdue researcher Michael Rossmann, a co-author of the study who in 1985 became the first scientist to solve the structure of a human virus, called the achievement a milestone in viral studies.
"The flavivirus family contains a number of medically important viruses that have proved to be difficult to control and study," he says. "Our findings provide new molecular insights into the process of infection used by these viruses and a structural basis for targeting those activities."
Dengue fever is a severe, flu-like illness that causes high fever, rash and extreme pain in the head, muscles and joints. Dengue haemorrhagic fever is a potentially lethal complication that can cause internal bleeding, vomiting, severe abdominal pain and death.
The dengue virus is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes and is most often found in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Last year, 74 cases of dengue infection were reported in the state of Hawaii, and health agencies have reported an increased risk for persons living along the Texas-Mexico border. In recent weeks, an outbreak of the infection has left tens of thousands of people ill in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Though vaccines have been developed for dengue, control of the virus by vaccination has proved to be elusive. The disease may be caused by any one of four different strains of the dengue virus, and vaccinating against only one or two of the viruses can increase the risk of more serious forms of the disease.
Rossmann says mapping the structure of the dengue virus posed a number of technical challenges for the research group. Flaviviruses have been especially difficult to study in part because their properties make it difficult to produce the large amounts of undamaged particles needed for the high-resolution techniques used to study
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Contact: Susan Gaidos
sgaidos@purdue.edu
765-494-2081
Purdue University
7-Mar-2002