Viral Meningitis: recent advances and prospects

About this Research Topic

Background

Viral meningitis is the most diagnosed infection of the central nervous system. The incidence rate of viral meningitis could be up to 17 cases per 100000 people. There are several infectious agents known to cause meningitis. One of the most identified pathogens belong to the family of enteroviruses with up to 19 cases per 100000 population diagnosed in the high-income countries annually. Meningitis is also an AIDS defining disease where herpes simplex virus 2 is a commonly identified pathogen. West Nile virus (WNV) is another pathogen causing meningitis. Emerging from its African origins, WNV found its way to the United States in 1999 and swiftly disseminated throughout the nation in just four years. The initial instances of WNV infection were documented in California in 2002. This rapid dissemination was explained by the fact that virus is transmitted by a mosquito vector.

Children are more frequently diagnosed with viral meningitis. According to the data from CDC, the high-risk population includes children younger than five years old and individuals with immunocompromised conditions. The disease could be fatal reaching up to 13% in the case of WNV meningitis. Also, half of these patients are at risk of developing long-term neurological or psychological complications. There are multiple weaknesses and unaddressed challenges in diagnosis, treatment, and prophylaxis of viral meningitis.

The current research topic is aimed to address the most pressing gaps in our understanding of the pathogenesis of viral meningitis. Furthermore, the presence of disease symptoms resembling those of other types of meningitis, coupled with the constrained range of clinical laboratory tests at hand, contributes to the complexity of diagnosing the condition. Additionally, modes of virus dissemination should be interrupted as the risk of exposure is expected to remain high due to migrations as a result of tourism and increasing trade exchanges. This high risk of infection should be monitored to prevent future outbreaks and endemics. Also, looking for the novel approaches for treatment and prevention of viral meningitis remain urgent health care challenges.

Scientists are invited to submit their original research manuscripts, case reports, clinical trials, reviews and mini-reviews addressing:

1. The etiology of Viral meningitis;
2. Novel and improved methods for diagnosis and differential diagnosis including but not limited to immunological, genetic, biochemical, and microscopic methods;
3. Identification and testing novel targets for diagnosis, treatment and prevention using genetic, immunological and bioinformatic methods;
4. The role of the immune system in pathogenesis of viral meningitis (lymphocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages, neutrophils, cytokines, etc);
5. Approaches for treatment and prevention (novel and improved older modalities).

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Virus, meningitis, Central nervous system (CNS), Neuroglia, West Nile virus, Innate and specific immune response, Prevention and treatment

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