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Review
. 2009 Aug;10(8):811-20.

Measles control--can measles virus inhibitors make a difference?

Richard K Plemper  1 , James P Snyder
Affiliations
Review

Measles control--can measles virus inhibitors make a difference?

Richard K Plemper et al. Curr Opin Investig Drugs. 2009 Aug.

Abstract

Infection by measles virus (MV) is a major cause of human morbidity and mortality worldwide. In 2001, the WHO, UNICEF and their partners launched the Measles Initiative, the goals of which are to interrupt the transmission of MV in large geographic areas by increasing vaccination coverage and to assess the feasibility of eradicating MV worldwide. An estimated 74% reduction in mortality resulting from measles was achieved between 2000 and 2007, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 200,000 deaths annually. Despite this progress in the control of measles, the highest number of measles cases in more than a decade was observed in 2008 in several European countries and the US, and the virus was again declared endemic in the UK. In the light of this resurgence in the UK and the limitations associated with the current live-attenuated vaccine, this review discusses the means by which safe and effective measles antivirals could augment vaccination and strengthen global efforts to control measles. Important aspects of treatment are the potential to prevent infection effectively after exposure to MV, the improvement of case management, the amelioration of complications that frequently follow MV infection and the influence of antivirals on a potential strategy for global measles eradication.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Measles virus, a member of the Paramyxovirus family
(A) Electron micrograph of purified MV particles at a magnification of 100,000×. Virions are pleiomorphic with an approximate diameter of 150 to 300 nm. Glycoproteins embedded in the viral envelope are detectable (Image was taken by Brindley MA, Wang JJ and Plemper RK). (B) Schematic representation of an MV particle showing the six structural viral proteins. Not shown are non-structural C and V proteins that are encoded in the P gene and accessed through alternative ribosome initiation and pseudotemplated RNA editing, respectively. Only a small number of envelope glycoprotein complexes are shown for clarity.
Figure 2
Figure 2. The structure of AS-136A
AS-136A is a specific inhibitor of measles virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity with desirable pharmacological properties.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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