Three Reviews Highlight Different Aspects of the Host Response to Viral Infection

The current issue of Viral Immunology contains three excellent review articles that highlight different aspects of the host response to viral infection. Arcia and colleagues review the CD8⁺ T cell response to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) infection (3). It is well established that mutations in HIV CD8 epitopes allow the virus to escape immune control. Here the authors focus on various escape mechanisms (including changes in the presentation and recognition of antigenic epitopes), the impact of selected mutations on viral fitness, and the implications for the development of new therapeutic strategies focused on the induction of specific CD8⁺ T cell responses. In a second review, Suwanmanee and Luplertlop discuss dengue virus immunopathogenesis (10). The authors point out that dengue pathogenesis is incompletely understood, especially with respect to the variable roles of antibody-dependent enhancement, cytokine expression, and cell death by both apoptosis and pyroptosis. An improved understanding of these factors during severe dengue infection should facilitate the development of vaccines and therapies. The third review focuses on the oncogenic role of tumor viruses in humans. Akram et al. note that approximately 20% of all human cancers are caused by oncoviruses (1). Their article summarizes the state of our knowledge regarding human oncogenic viruses and the molecular mechanisms that lead to tumorigenesis in humans. Together, these three reviews provide a broad overview of some of the most fascinating aspects of host–virus interactions.

Several research articles in this issue of Viral Immunology focus on the innate and adaptive immune responses to viral infection. On the innate immunity front, Perdomo-Celis et al. note that tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is a key cytokine in the pathogenesis of dengue virus infection and its accurate detection in human samples is critical (8). In this regard, the authors compare enzyme-linked immunosorbent and cytometric bead array assays and show that plasma affects the efficiency of TNF-α detection. Clearly, this effect should be considered in the measurement of this cytokine. Dhamanage et al. have investigated the role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in the innate immune response against HIV-1. pDCs act primarily through the secretion of IFN-α, but their activity has been found to be impaired in patients with acute HIV-1 infection (6). The authors extend these observations to show that HIV-1 not only fails to induce IFN-α in adequate quantities but also inhibits the IFN-α secretary capacity of pDCs by a mechanism possibly involving the CD303 receptor on the pDC surface. Finally, Lu et al. have investigated the impact of hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBe) on monocyte and B lymphocyte function (7). Stable transfection of cell lines with HBe resulted in the production of a number of cytokines that affected cell motility and inflammatory status, including BAFF, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10. The authors conclude that HBe can enhance the immune activeness of both B cells and monocytes.

On the adaptive immunity front, Anoh et al. have analyzed the seroprevalence of human cytomegalovirus infection among a rural population of Côte d'Ivoire and present evidence that the infection is hyperendemic in that region (2). Bender Ignacio and colleagues describe a clinical presentation of a woman with at least four manifestations of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection, including central nervous system vasculitis, during her first 2 years of HIV infection. Their study focused on her CD4 T cell responses to VZV during immune reconstitution on antiretroviral therapy (4). Post and colleagues have analyzed the immune response to African swine fever, a fatal disease of domestic pigs (9). The authors conclude that γδ T cells and IL-10 levels could be related to mortality and that these factors should be considered in new approaches for vaccine development. Finally, Del Medico Zajac and colleagues have evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy of mucosal delivery of a recombinant modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus expressing the secreted version of bovine herpes virus type 1 glycoprotein D (5). Their data demonstrate the value of MVA as a vector for the design of veterinary vaccines capable of inducing specific and protective immune responses at both the local and systemic levels.

I would like to thank all of the authors for their excellent contributions to the journal and all of the reviewers for their help in maintaining the high quality of the articles accepted for publication.