Overview of the Flaviviridae with an emphasis on the Japanese encephalitis group viruses

Abstract

The viruses within the Flaviviridae family are associated with significant public health and economic impacts worldwide. Of the 3 genera in this family, the Flavivirus genus is the largest, composed of 53 species divided into 12 groups. Of these groups, the Japanese encephalitis group contains the largest number of viral species associated with human disease. The majority of human infections following exposure to a mosquito vector in this group of viruses include the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV), St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), and West Nile virus (WNV). This paper provides a generalized overview of the viruses within the Flaviviridae with a focused examination of the 4 major species causing human disease within the Japanese encephalitis group.