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Full Version: Dengue Antibodies Act as Vaccine Against Zika
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Researchers from Imperial College London and Washington University in St Louis conducted an important experiment to test the impact of Antibodies taken from the patients infected with Dengue virus, on early stage Zika patients (in this case, a mouse model).

And, interestingly those antibodies not only prevented infection in Zika-infected mice, but also protected the fetus of female mice from the infection. This discovery can be path-breaking if replicated in humans as well; as it can lead to emergence of a single vaccine for both the viral diseases.

The research and the findings make sense as both Zika and Dengue are caused by the viruses belonging to Flaviviridae family (and in fact are transmitted by the same species of mosquito as well!). The entire study has been published in Nature Immunology in Aug 2017 under the title:

Human antibodies to the dengue virus E-dimer epitope have therapeutic activity against Zika virus infection

Following is the abstract taken from the publication (Nature Immunology):


Quote:The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic has resulted in congenital abnormalities in fetuses and neonates. Although some cross-reactive dengue virus (DENV)-specific antibodies can enhance ZIKV infection in mice, those recognizing the DENV E-dimer epitope (EDE) can neutralize ZIKV infection in cell culture. We evaluated the therapeutic activity of human monoclonal antibodies to DENV EDE for their ability to control ZIKV infection in the brains, testes, placentas, and fetuses of mice. A single dose of the EDE1-B10 antibody given 3 d after ZIKV infection protected against lethality, reduced ZIKV levels in brains and testes, and preserved sperm counts. In pregnant mice, wild-type or engineered LALA variants of EDE1-B10, which cannot engage Fcg receptors, diminished ZIKV burden in maternal and fetal tissues, and protected against fetal demise. Because neutralizing antibodies to EDE have therapeutic potential against ZIKV, in addition to their established inhibitory effects against DENV, it may be possible to develop therapies that control disease caused by both viruses.


Refer the journal for full details:

http://www.nature.com/ni/journal/vaop/nc....3849.html