New clues may help battle against dengue virus

US scientists have gained new insights into how the dengue virus infects cells and spreads across countries, discoveries that could help combat a mosquito-borne disease which affects 50 million people a year. Dengue, which occurs in the tropics, was first identified in the 1950s along with a potentially lethal complication called dengue haemorrhagic fever. One study reported in the science journal Nature shed light on how authorities can contain dengue outbreaks. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland used a mathematical technique developed by NASA to show that dengue cases in Thailand radiate in waves from Bangkok and infect areas throughout the country. According to an analysis of infections in Thailand between 1983 and 1997, dengue travels in waves at about 148 km (92 miles) per month and takes about eight months to spread throughout the country. The scientists suspect the waves are linked to the movement of people in Thailand. “Our results suggest that high priority should be placed on surveillance and control systems in urban areas of Southeast Asia,” said Professor Donald S. Burke, a co-author of the study. In a separate study reported in Nature, researchers in Boston discovered how the virus infects cells in the body. They used X-ray images of the virus’s envelope protein, or membrane, to study the way it fuses with the cell and identified two points at which drugs or vaccines could interfere with the fusion process, the final step of infection. “Infectious disease is a moving target, and understanding the mechanisms of viral entry is one of the ways that we can be forearmed against these viruses,” said Stephen Harrison of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, who worked on the study. The scientists believe their research could be adapted for other viruses including West Nile and hepatitis C. —Reuters

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