Dengue virus

About: Dengue virus is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 12671 publications have been published within this topic receiving 461406 citations. The topic is also known as: DENV.

Use of Recombinant Envelope Proteins for Serological Diagnosis of Dengue Virus Infection in an Immunochromatographic Assay

Abstract: An immunochromatographic test that incorporates recombinant antigens (Dengue Duo Rapid Strip Test; PanBio, Brisbane, Australia) has recently become commercially available. This assay is performed in 15 min and detects both immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG in a capture format. The four recombinant proteins used represent the N-terminal 80% of the viral envelope glycoproteins of dengue viruses 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the recombinant-antigen-based assay were 90 and 86%, respectively. The similar diagnostic performance of these antigens to that of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using whole dengue virus suggests that they mimic whole dengue viruses in primary structure and epitope conformation. These results suggest that recombinant proteins can be used in diagnostic assays for dengue to overcome safety issues associated with the use of whole virus.

Attenuation of the Langat tick-borne flavivirus by chimerization with mosquito-borne flavivirus dengue type 4

Abstract: Langat virus (LGT) strain TP21 is the most attenuated of the tick-borne flaviviruses for humans. Even though LGT has low-level neurovirulence for humans, it, and its more attenuated egg-passage derivative, strain E5, exhibit significant neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness in normal mice, albeit less than that associated with tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), the most virulent of the tick-borne flaviviruses. We sought to reduce or ablate these viral phenotypes of TP21 and E5 by using a strategy that had been used successfully in the past to reduce neurovirulence and abolish neuroinvasiveness of TBEV, namely substitution of structural protein genes of the tick-borne flavivirus for the corresponding genes of dengue type 4 virus (DEN4). In pursuit of these objectives different combinations of LGT genes were substituted into the DEN4 genome but only chimeras containing LGT structural proteins premembrane (preM) and envelope glycoprotein (E) were viable. The infectious LGT(preM-E)/DEN4 chimeras were restricted in replication in simian cell cultures but grew to moderately high titer in mosquito cell culture. Also, the chimeras were at least 5,000 times less neurovirulent than their parental LGT virus in suckling mice. Significantly, the chimeras lacked detectable evidence of neuroinvasiveness after i.p. inoculation of Swiss mice or the more permissive SCID mice with 105 or 107 plaque-forming units (PFU), respectively. Nonetheless, i.p. inoculation of Swiss mice with 10 or 103 PFU of either chimeric virus induced LGT neutralizing antibodies and resistance to fatal encephalitis caused by i.p. challenge with LGT TP21. The implications of these observations for development of a live attenuated TBEV vaccine are discussed.

Human to Mosquito Transmission of Dengue Viruses

Abstract: The successful transmission of dengue virus from a human host to a mosquito vector requires a complex set of factors to align. It is becoming increasingly important to improve our understanding of the parameters that shape the human to mosquito component of the transmission cycle so that vaccines and therapeutic anti-virals can be fully evaluated and epidemiological models refined. Here we describe these factors, and discuss the biological and environmental impacts and demographic changes that are influencing these dynamics. Specifically, we examine features of the human infection required for the mosquito to acquire the virus via natural blood feeding, as well as the biological and environmental factors that influence a mosquito’s susceptibility to infection, up to the point that they are capable of transmitting the virus to a new host.

Identification of New Protein Interactions between Dengue Fever Virus and Its Hosts, Human and Mosquito

Abstract: The four divergent serotypes of dengue virus are the causative agents of dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. About two-fifths of the world's population live in areas where dengue is prevalent, and thousands of deaths are caused by the viruses every year. Dengue virus is transmitted from one person to another primarily by the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Recent studies have begun to define how the dengue viral proteins interact with host proteins to mediate viral replication and pathogenesis. A combined analysis of these studies, however, suggests that many virus-host protein interactions remain to be identified, especially for the mosquito host. In this study, we used high-throughput yeast two-hybrid screening to identify mosquito and human proteins that physically interact with dengue proteins. We tested each identified host protein against the proteins from all four serotypes of dengue to identify interactions that are conserved across serotypes. We further confirmed many of the interactions using co-affinity purification assays. As in other large-scale screens, we identified some previously detected interactions and many new ones, moving us closer to a complete host – dengue protein interactome. To help summarize and prioritize the data for further study, we combined our interactions with other published data and identified a subset of the host-dengue interactions that are now supported by multiple forms of evidence. These data should be useful for understanding the interplay between dengue and its hosts and may provide candidates for drug targets and vector control strategies.