Enhancement of Zika virus infection by antibodies from West Nile virus seropositive individuals with no history of clinical infection.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Recent outbreaks of Zika Virus (ZIKV) infection and associated microcephaly has raised multiple scientific questions. The close antigenic relatedness between flaviviruses makes diagnosis of specific infection difficult. This relatedness also raises the potential of Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) via cross reactive antibodies to flaviviruses like West Nile Virus (WNV) and Dengue Virus (DENV). Asymptomatic WNV infections are endemic throughout the US creating a large proportion of the population that is seropositive for WNV antibodies. Whether these sero-positive individuals potentially carry ZIKV enhancing antibodies remains unknown.

Results

Serum samples obtained from human subjects with symptomatic or asymptomatic WNV infection from a WNV endemic region in

SUBMITTER: Garg H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7796652 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature