Enteroviruses: The role of receptors in viral pathogenesis.

Enteroviruses are among the most common viral infectious agents of humans and cause a broad spectrum of illness, which can range from mild and self-limiting to severe. Severe outcomes of enteroviral infections can include aseptic meningitis, bronchitis, acute liver failure, hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, or acute flaccid myelitis and other paralytic syndromes. Enteroviruses initiate their replicative life cycles by attaching to a broad range of cell surface receptors, which play direct roles in the clinical outcomes of enteroviral infections. In this chapter, we review the transmission and viral life cycle of enteroviruses and discuss the diverse cell surface receptors that facilitate enterovirus attachment, entry, or genome release.