Human antibody response to dengue virus: implications for dengue vaccine design

Dengue, a global health threat, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in most tropical and subtropical countries. Dengue can range from asymptomatic, relatively mild dengue fever to severe and life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever. Disease severity and outcome is largely associated with the host immune response. Several candidate vaccines in clinical trials appear promising as effective measures for dengue disease control. Vaccine development has been hampered by safety and efficacy issues, driven by a lack of understanding of the host immune response. This review focuses on recent research findings on the dengue host immune response, particularly in humans, and the relevance of these findings to challenges in vaccine development.