The molecular and cellular aspects of arthritis due to alphavirus infections: lesson learned from Ross River virus.

Alphaviruses such as the Sindbis-group viruses, Scandinavian Ockelbo virus, the African Asian chikungunya virus, the African O'nyong-nyong virus, the South American Mayaro virus, and the Australasian Barmah Forest and Ross River viruses, are commonly associated with outbreaks of acute and persistent arthritis and arthralgia in humans. The mechanisms by which these viruses cause arthritis/arthralgia are poorly understood. This chapter summarizes our current understanding of viral arthritides using our newly developed mouse model of Ross River virus-induced joint and muscle inflammation.