Editorial: Immunomodulatory strategies for managing viral infections: host immune responses and therapeutic targets

Viral infections continue to pose a substantial global health burden, as underscored by recurrent outbreaks and pandemics caused by emerging and re-emerging viruses. While direct-acting antivirals and vaccines remain central to viral disease control, their effectiveness is often limited by viral mutation, immune escape, restricted availability, or variable host responses (Medzhitov, 2008;Vabret et al., 2020). Increasing evidence highlights that disease severity and clinical outcomes are frequently determined not only by viral replication but also by the nature, magnitude, and regulation of host immune responses (Iwasaki and Medzhitov, 2015;Blanco-Melo et al., 2020). Consequently, immunomodulatory strategies that fine-tune host immunity have emerged as a promising and complementary approach for managing viral infections.