Mechanism for Rift Valley fever virus infection discovered

Viruses can’t live without us — literally. As obligate parasites, viruses need a host cell to survive. Scientists are exploiting this characteristic by developing therapeutics that close off pathways necessary for viral infection, essentially stopping pathogens in their tracks. Rift Valley fever virus and other bunyaviruses may soon be added to the list of viruses denied access to a human host. Researchers have now discovered a mechanism by which RVFV hijacks the host machinery to cause infection.