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  • Review Article
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The immune response against flaviviruses

Nature Immunology volume 19, pages 1189–1198 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Arthropod-borne flaviviruses are important human pathogens that cause a diverse range of clinical conditions, including severe hemorrhagic syndromes, neurological complications and congenital malformations. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop safe and effective vaccines, a process requiring better understanding of the immunological mechanisms involved during infection. Decades of research suggest a paradoxical role of the immune response against flaviviruses: although the immune response is crucial for the control, clearance and prevention of infection, poor clinical outcomes are commonly associated with virus-specific immunity and immunopathogenesis. This relationship is further complicated by the high homology among viruses and the implication of cross-reactive immune responses in protection and pathogenesis. This Review examines the dual role of the adaptive immune response against flaviviruses, particularly emphasizing the most recent findings regarding cross-reactive T cell and antibody responses, and the effects that these concepts have on vaccine-development endeavors.

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Fig. 1: Flavivirus genomic organization and structure.
Fig. 2: Flavivirus life cycle.
Fig. 3: Structural heterogeneity of flavivirus particles during maturation.
Fig. 4: Complex quaternary epitopes on the viral surface.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust, UK, and the Newton-Medical Research Council, UK. G.R.S. is supported as a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuffield Department of Medicine, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Jose Luis Slon Campos & Juthathip Mongkolsapaya

  2. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Research Unit, Office for Research and Development, Siriraj Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Juthathip Mongkolsapaya

  3. Division of Medical Sciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Gavin R. Screaton

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  1. Jose Luis Slon Campos
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Correspondence to Gavin R. Screaton.

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Slon Campos, J.L., Mongkolsapaya, J. & Screaton, G.R. The immune response against flaviviruses. Nat Immunol 19, 1189–1198 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-018-0210-3

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