title: Reservoir host immune responses to emerging zoonotic viruses.
abstract: Zoonotic viruses, such as HIV, Ebola virus, coronaviruses, influenza A viruses, hantaviruses, or henipaviruses, can result in profound pathology in humans. In contrast, populations of the reservoir hosts of zoonotic pathogens often appear to tolerate these infections with little evidence of disease. Why are viruses more dangerous in one species than another? Immunological studies investigating quantitative and qualitative differences in the host-virus equilibrium in animal reservoirs will be key to answering this question, informing new approaches for treating and preventing zoonotic diseases. Integrating an understanding of host immune responses with epidemiological, ecological, and evolutionary insights into viral emergence will shed light on mechanisms that minimize fitness costs associated with viral infection, facilitate transmission to other hosts, and underlie the association of specific reservoir hosts with multiple emerging viruses. Reservoir host studies provide a rich opportunity for elucidating fundamental immunological processes and their underlying genetic basis, in the context of distinct physiological and metabolic constraints that contribute to host resistance and disease tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Lymphocyte Biology Section, Laboratory of Systems Biology, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. Electronic address: mandlj@niaid.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Judith N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Mandl
authors.affiliation: Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Rafi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre, Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada.
authors.forename: Luis B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Barreiro
authors.affiliation: EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY 10001, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Daszak
authors.affiliation: EcoHealth Alliance, New York, NY 10001, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Herbert W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Virgin
authors.affiliation: Merck Vaccines, Merck & Co. Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
authors.forename: Mark B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Feinberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D014777:Virus Diseases; D018406:Virus Physiological Phenomena; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*