Targeted Mutations in the Fusion Peptide Region of La Crosse Virus Attenuate Neuroinvasion and Confer Protection against Encephalitis
La Crosse virus (LACV) is a major cause of pediatric encephalitis and aseptic meningitis in the Midwestern, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern United States, where it is an emerging pathogen.The LACV Gc glycoprotein plays a critical role in the neuropathogenesis of LACV encephalitis as the putative virus attachment protein.Previously, we identified and exp