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Dengue Virus (DENV) Neutralizing Antibody Kinetics in Children After Symptomatic Primary and Postprimary DENV
Hannah E Clapham1, Isabel Rodriguez-Barraquer1, Andrew S Azman1
1Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Insights
Neutralizing antibody levels after dengue virus (DENV) infection vary by serotype and infection type. Antibody titers generally increase one year post-infection, suggesting boosted immunity and potential protection against future dengue.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The immune response to dengue virus (DENV) is complex and not fully understood.
- Longitudinal studies are crucial for understanding antibody dynamics after DENV infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe neutralizing antibody kinetics following symptomatic DENV infection in children.
- To analyze factors influencing antibody titer changes, including serotype and primary vs. postprimary infections.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal data from 181 children with dengue in Thailand followed for up to 3 years.
- Analysis of neutralizing antibody titers over time, comparing homotypic and heterotypic responses.
- Assessment of antibody changes in primary versus postprimary DENV infections.
Main Results:
- Antibody titers varied by DENV serotype, homotypic/heterotypic responses, and primary/postprimary infections.
- Primary infections showed increasing titers from convalescence to 6 months, with increased type specificity for DENV3.
- Postprimary infections showed decreasing titers from convalescence to 6 months, with increasing titers starting at 1 year post-infection for both primary and postprimary cases.
Conclusions:
- Antibody kinetics differ significantly between primary and postprimary DENV infections.
- Increasing antibody titers one year post-infection suggest immune boosting and potential for sterilizing immunity.
- Findings provide baseline data for DENV transmission modeling, vaccine, and therapeutic development.
Abstract:
The immune response to dengue virus (DENV) infection is complex and not fully understood. Using longitudinal data from 181 children with dengue in Thailand who were followed for up to 3 years, we describe neutralizing antibody kinetics following symptomatic DENV infection. We observed that antibody titers varied by serotype, homotypic vs heterotypic responses, and primary versus postprimary infections. The rates of change in antibody titers over time varied between primary and postprimary responses. For primary infections, titers increased from convalescence to 6 months. By comparing homotypic and heterotypic antibody titers, we saw an increase in type specificity from convalescence to 6 months for primary DENV3 infections but not primary DENV1 infections. In postprimary cases, there was a decrease in titers from convalescence up until 6 months after infection. Beginning 1 year after both primary and postprimary infections, there was evidence of increasing antibody titers, with greater increases in children with lower titers, suggesting that antibody titers were boosted due to infection and that higher levels of neutralizing antibody may be more likely to confer a sterilizing immune response. These findings may help to model virus transmission dynamics and provide baseline data to support the development of vaccines and therapeutics.
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