Lassa mammarenavirus (LASV) (LASV)

Lassa mammarenavirus (LASV) is an enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus in the family Arenaviridae and is the causative agent of Lassa fever, a severe hemorrhagic fever endemic to West Africa (CDC, 2023). The viral genome consists of two segments encoding four primary proteins: the glycoprotein complex (GPC), nucleoprotein (NP), large (L) polymerase protein, and the Z matrix protein (UniProt, 2024). LASV initiates infection by binding its GPC to the host cell receptor alpha-dystroglycan, followed by endocytosis and pH-triggered membrane fusion (PubMed, 2010). Currently, ribavirin is the standard of care, acting as a nucleoside analog that inhibits the L protein's RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity, though its efficacy is significantly reduced if not administered early in the disease course (StatPearls, 2023). Emerging therapies target specific viral components, such as favipiravir for polymerase inhibition and monoclonal antibodies like arevirumab for glycoprotein neutralization, to improve treatment specificity and reduce toxicity (Nature Communications, 2017). Because the term 'Lassa fever virus' refers to a whole pathogen rather than a single molecular target, it encompasses multiple potential drug targets within its structural and replication machinery.

Other names

Lassa fever virusLassa virusArenavirusLASV

Inhibition of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L protein) by nucleoside analogs and neutralization of the glycoprotein complex (GPC) to prevent host cell entry (StatPearls, 2023; Nature Communications, 2017).