Scientists solve a dengue mystery: Why second infection is worse than first

Andy · Nov 2, 2017

Thought this was interesting.

For decades there has been a counterintuitive and hotly debated theory about dengue infections: that antibodies generated by a previous bout of dengue could actually put a person at risk of more severe disease if they contracted the virus a second time.

And now American and Nicaraguan scientists have published evidence that may silence the skeptics. Antibody-dependent enhancement, or ADE as it’s known in scientific circles, can happen, they reported, when subsequent infection occurs at a time when antibodies generated by the prior infection have fallen to a specific low range.

Nikos Vasilakis, an associate professor of pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, used to be among the disbelievers — primarily because, though ADE was seen in lab experiments (in vitro), proof in people (in vivo) had been absent.

“I’m one of those people who for years I was questioning that,” he admitted.

“This paper, what it does, it shows for the first time the narrow range of antibody concentrations … that actually produces enhancement of disease in vivo,” said Vasilakis, who was not involved in the study. “I have bias against ADE in general, but this is a very good study.”

The work was published in the journal Science.
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https://www.statnews.com/2017/11/02/dengue-second-infection/

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Scientists solve a dengue mystery: Why second infection is worse than first

Andy Committee Member & Outreach

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Scientists solve a dengue mystery: Why second infection is worse than first

Andy Committee Member & Outreach

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