Arboviruses: Dynamics of Infection and Immune Evasion during the Replication Cycles

Arboviruses (arthropod-borne viruses) are etiological viral agents mainly transmitted by arthropod vectors that pose a significant burden on the human public health systems worldwide, causing millions of infections every year; these viruses need to replicate in hematophagous arthropods, including numerous species of mosquitoes, ticks, and midges, among others. Important arboviruses for human and animal health include the dengue virus (DENV), Mayaro virus (MAYV), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), Zika virus (ZIKV), Yellow fever virus (YFV), chikungunya (CHIKV), and African swine fever virus (ASF), among other closely related viruses. These infectious agents can infect different hosts (invertebrate vectors and mammalian hosts), which requires avoiding two types of immune responses to continue and remain in nature. Arboviruses have sylvatic (vector to wild animals) and urban (vector to humans) transmission cycles and have developed mechanisms to overcome ecological and biological challenges, allowing them to take over the cellular machinery and successfully complete their replication cycle among hosts. Despite numerous pieces of evidence and studies, the mechanisms, molecules, and components involved in the arbovirus replication cycles are yet to be defined. This chapter will discuss viral replication processes, immune evasion, and vaccine development for arboviral families that are relevant to public health.