Flaviviruses: Introduction to dengue viruses

Abstract

Flaviviruses are a genus of positive-sense RNA viruses that includes Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus, and dengue viruses. They are transmitted by arthropod vectors and cause significant human disease worldwide. The rapid rise in human infections caused by these viruses has been attributed to increased urbanization, travel, and increased spread of vectors probably linked to climate change. Dengue viruses now cause the most widespread arthropod-borne viral disease infecting humans. Thus, in this chapter we introduce and describe the molecular and cellular biology of flaviviruses using dengue viruses as an example.