Research
Research efforts to prevent and treat dengue include various means of vector control, vaccine development, and antiviral drugs.
With regards to vector control, a number of novel methods have been used to reduce mosquito numbers with some success including the placement of the guppy (Poecilia reticulata) or copepods in standing water to eat the mosquito larvae. Attempts are ongoing to infect the mosquito population with bacteria of the Wolbachia genus, which makes the mosquitoes partially resistant to dengue virus.
There are ongoing programs working on a dengue vaccine to cover all four serotypes. One of the concerns is that a vaccine could increase the risk of severe disease through antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). The ideal vaccine is safe, effective after one or two injections, covers all serotypes, does not contribute to ADE, is easily transported and stored, and is both affordable and cost-effective. As of 2012, a number of vaccines were undergoing testing. The most developed is based on a weakened combination of the yellow fever virus and each of the four dengue serotypes. It is hoped that the first products will be commercially available by 2015.
Apart from attempts to control the spread of the Aedes mosquito and work to develop a vaccine against dengue, there are ongoing efforts to develop antiviral drugs that would be used to treat attacks of dengue fever and prevent severe complications. Discovery of the structure of the viral proteins may aid the development of effective drugs. There are several plausible targets. The first approach is inhibition of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (coded by NS5), which copies the viral genetic material, with nucleoside analogs. Secondly, it may be possible to develop specific inhibitors of the viral protease (coded by NS3), which splices viral proteins. Finally, it may be possible to develop entry inhibitors, which stop the virus entering cells, or inhibitors of the 5′ capping process, which is required for viral replication.
Read more about this topic: Dengue Fever
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