Preclinical and clinical studies reporting diagnostic approaches and major mechanisms for improving or developing future treatment of communicable diseases
Despite the global decline, six of the top 10 causes of death in low-income countries result from communicable diseases. One of these diseases is pneumonia, a form of acute respiratory infection that affects the lungs, that accounts for 14% of all deaths of children under 5 years old according to the world health organization. Pneumonia is caused by a number of infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria and fungi. Using a preclinical model, of severe pneumonia, Zhang et al have identified the critical role of miR-29c/PTEN pathways, thus paving the way for the discovery of new target for diagnosis and treatment of the severe pneumonia. Dengue is another leading cause of death in some Asian and Latin American countries. Severe dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Ming et al make the review of the current and new strategies for treating severe dengue, a still unmet medical need. Emerging infection disease we are still facing is the Covid-19 pandemic, which has now claimed 2 million of death worldwide. Although some vaccines have radically reduced the severity of the disease, and thereby the risk of mortality, SARS-CoV-2 virus continue to mute and to infect people, pointing to the need of drugs capable to alleviate the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2. Jamiu et al, Carro and Yang et al, report the mechanisms through which SARS-CoV-2 infect its target cells and open the way for new druggable targets.
Edited by
Amar Abderrahmani(Lille University, France)