Inhibitors of respiratory viruses

Abstract

Viral respiratory infections are caused by a variety of different virus species such as human rhinovirus, influenza virus, parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus. As the life cycles of these viruses are quite different, the development of a general treatment for respiratory infections seems impossible. For specific viruses however significant progress has been achieved, although only for influenza virus antiviral medication has reached the market. We present different approaches to inhibit respiratory viruses with a focus on human rhinoviruses, the most frequent cause of common cold.