Astrocyte response to St. Louis encephalitis virus.

St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), a flavivirus transmitted to humans by Culex mosquitoes, causes clinical symptoms ranging from acute febrile disorder to encephalitis. To reach the central nervous system (CNS) from circulating blood, the pathogen must cross the blood-brain barrier formed by endothelial cells and astrocytes.

Molecular characterization of influenza viruses collected from young children in Uberlandia, Brazil - from 2001 to 2010.

Background: Influenza remains a major health problem due to the seasonal epidemics that occur every year caused by the emergence of new influenza virus strains. Hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) glycoproteins are under selective pressure and subjected to frequent changes by antigenic drift. Therefore, our main objective was to investigate the influenza cases in Uberlândia city, Midwestern Brazil, in order to monitor the appearance of new viral strains, despite the availability of a prophylactic vaccine.