Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Oct 23;7(10):5489-507.
doi: 10.3390/v7102892.

The Role of Cytokines and Chemokines in Filovirus Infection

Sandra L Bixler  1 , Arthur J Goff  2
Affiliations
Review

The Role of Cytokines and Chemokines in Filovirus Infection

Sandra L Bixler et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Ebola- and marburgviruses are highly pathogenic filoviruses and causative agents of viral hemorrhagic fever. Filovirus disease is characterized by a dysregulated immune response, severe organ damage, and coagulation abnormalities. This includes modulation of cytokines, signaling mediators that regulate various components of the immune system as well as other biological processes. Here we examine the role of cytokines in filovirus infection, with an emphasis on understanding how these molecules affect development of the antiviral immune response and influence pathology. These proteins may present targets for immune modulation by therapeutic agents and vaccines in an effort to boost the natural immune response to infection and/or reduce immunopathology.

Keywords: Ebola; Filovirus; Marburg; chemokine; cytokine; immunopathology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cytokine families and their functions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The role of cytokines in filovirus infection and immunopathogenesis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Kuhn J.H., Becker S., Ebihara H., Geisbert T.W., Johnson K.M., Kawaoka Y., Lipkin W.I., Negredo A.I., Netesov S.V., Nichol S.T., et al. Proposal for a revised taxonomy of the family Filoviridae: Classification, names of taxa and viruses, and virus abbreviations. Arch. Virol. 2010;155:2083–2103. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Siegert R., Shu H.L., Slenczka W., Peters D., Muller G. On the etiology of an unknown human infection originating from monkeys. Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. 1967;92:2341–2343. doi: 10.1055/s-0028-1106144. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Martini G.A., Siegert R. Marburg Virus Disease. Springer; New York, NY, USA: 1971.
    1. Johnson K.M., Lange J.V., Webb P.A., Murphy F.A. Isolation and partial characterisation of a new virus causing acute haemorrhagic fever in Zaire. Lancet. 1977;1:569–571. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(77)92000-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Report of a WHO/International Study Team Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Sudan, 1976. Bull. World Health Organ. 1978;56:247–270. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

-