Is reduction of viral fitness a valid antiviral approach?

Viral fitness, the replicative adaptation of a virus to its environment, has viral and environmental determinants. Presently, growth competition assays of recombinant viruses can supply a precise evaluation of this parameter of potential clinical interest. On the basis of the data obtained by monitoring viral infections under treatment with antiviral compounds and by sequence-function analysis of drug-resistant variants, it has recently been proposed that intentional selection of viral mutants with reduced fitness could be an efficient antiviral strategy in several important viral infections of humans. From this point of view, specific antiviral compounds as well as human monoclonal antibodies targeting crucial viral proteins could be effective in modifying the viral replication capacity and the pathogenic potential of rapidly evolving RNA viruses that are normally able to escape under the pressure of treatments with single or multiple antiviral drugs.

Section editor:Charles Craig – Clinical Virology Specialist