ABOVE: Transmission electron microscope image of Zika virus (red)
FLICKR, NIAID
Antibodies created during a viral infection or in response to a vaccine help to prevent reinfection with that specific virus but can, in some cases, worsen infections by similar ones. This phenomenon, called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), is particularly problematic for the related flaviviruses Zika and dengue. Researchers are therefore developing vaccination strategies to avoid the issue, and results from the latest incarnation tested in mice were reported yesterday (May 11) in Cell Reports.
“In the vaccine field, people have been focused on eliciting antibody responses, and that’s great of course, but . . . T cells are also important in mediating protective immunity,” says immunologist Sujan Shresta of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology who works on Zika and dengue vaccination strategies and has developed her own T cell–boosting vaccine but was not involved in the new study. Her progress ...
