**13. Potential treatments in the future – RNA interference**

Another promising therapy is the use of RNA interference (RNA-i) in silencing viral gene expression [28, 112]. As aforementioned, viruses penetrate the BBB and the very nature of the BBB makes it difficult for large and charged molecules to cross it. RNA-i on the other hand, are small and have the potential to cross the BBB and exert a therapeutic effect. RNA-i can bind to specific viral mRNA, causing degradation and preventing the translation and synthesis of viral proteins that enable the virus to inhibit the host IFN-1 response [112]. To synthesize RNA-i for therapeutic use, the viral proteins and subsequent viral mRNA have to be identified in advance. *In vitro* experiments performed have shown effective inhibition of EV71 infection [113] however *in vivo* experiments utilizing murine models have yet to repli‐ cate similar results [114].

**16. Acknowledgements**

1 Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

ol, 2005. 11(5): p. 441-6.

1999. 73(3): p. 1941-8.

**Author details**

Po-Ying Chia1

**References**

304-9.

p. 646-56.

262(2): p. 234-9.

This study is supported by the Singapore Ministry of Health's National Medical Research

Viral Encephalitis with Focus on Human Enteroviruses

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/52574

275

2 Laboratory of Molecular RNA Virology and Antiviral Strategies, Yong Loo Lin School of

[1] Olival, K.J. and P. Daszak, The ecology of emerging neurotropic viruses. J Neurovir‐

[2] Oberste, M.S., et al., Molecular evolution of the human enteroviruses: correlation of serotype with VP1 sequence and application to picornavirus classification. J Virol,

[3] Schmidt, N.J., E.H. Lennette, and H.H. Ho, An apparently new enterovirus isolated from patients with disease of the central nervous system. J Infect Dis, 1974. 129(3): p.

[4] Kitamura, N., et al., Primary structure, gene organization and polypeptide expres‐

[5] Ooi, M.H., et al., Human enterovirus 71 disease in Sarawak, Malaysia: a prospective clinical, virological, and molecular epidemiological study. Clin Infect Dis, 2007. 44(5):

[6] Whitley, R.J., et al., Diseases that mimic herpes simplex encephalitis. Diagnosis, pre‐ sentation, and outcome. NIAD Collaborative Antiviral Study Group. JAMA, 1989.

[7] Whitley, R.J., et al., Herpes simplex encephalitis: vidarabine therapy and diagnostic

[8] Chan, K.P., et al., Epidemic hand, foot and mouth disease caused by human enterovi‐

sion of poliovirus RNA. Nature, 1981. 291(5816): p. 547-53.

problems. N Engl J Med, 1981. 304(6): p. 313-8.

rus 71, Singapore. Emerg Infect Dis, 2003. 9(1): p. 78-85.

Medicine, Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore

\*Address all correspondence to: miccjh@nus.edu.sg; poying.chia@mohh.com.sg

Council under its Individual Research Grant (IRG11may096).

and Justin Jang Hann Chu2\*
