Replication Cycle of Astroviruses

Astrovirus infections cause gastroenteritis in mammals and have been identified as causative agents of diverse pathologies in birds such as hepatitis in ducks and poult enteritis mortality syndrome (PEMS), which causes enteritis and thymic and bursal atrophy in turkeys. Human astroviruses are recognized as the second leading cause of childhood viral gastroenteritis worldwide. Eight traditional astrovirus serotypes have been identified in humans, but recently novel astrovirus strains isolated from humans have been associated with diseases other than gastroenteritis. Herein we summarize our current knowledge of the astrovirus life cycle. Though there are gaps in our understanding of astrovirus replication, similarities can be drawn from Picornaviridae and Caliciviridae virus families. There are, however, unique characteristics of the astrovirus life cycle, including intracellular proteolytic processing of viral particles by cellular caspases, which has been shown to be required for the maturation and exit of viral progeny.