J Clin Pathol. Published Online First: 28 August 2008. doi:10.1136/jcp.2006.045682
Inter-disciplinary |
Tracking the footprints of the rabies virus: are we any closer to decoding this elusive virus?
1 National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, India
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: anita_mahadevan{at}yahoo.com.
Accepted 31 July 2008
Abstract
Rabies viral encephalitis, though one of the oldest recognized infectious disease remains an incurable, fatal encephalomyelitis despite significant advances in understanding of its pathobiology. Advances in science has led us to the trail of the virus in the host, but the sanctuaries in which the virus remains hidden or "latent" for its survival is unknown. Insights into host-pathogen interactions has facilitated evolving immunologic therapeutic strategies but we are far from finding a cure. To explain dichotomy in clinical presentation and uniform mortality in this viral encephalitis, various factors have been implicated that include both viral and host factors such as neuroanatomical distribution of viral antigen within brain, alteration in host immunity or viral strain in the former whereas apoptosis, neuronal dysfunction and neurotransmitter abnormalities in critical neuroanatomical areas are the popular explanations for the latter. Most of the present day knowledge has however evolved from invitro studies using fixed (attenuated) laboratory strains that may not be applicable in the clinical setting. Much has to be learnt about this elusive virus before effective therapeutic strategies can be evolved. This review attempts to address some of these questions that have remain unanswered in light of knowledge available from recent advances.
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
- Full Text (Rapid PDF)
- Correction (v61,p1232)
-
All Versions of this Article:
jcp.2006.045682v1
jcp.2006.045682v2
jcp.2006.045682v3 most recent - Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
