Lin Wang, Angkana T Huang, Leah C Katzelnick, Noémie Lefrancq, Ana Coello Escoto, Loréna Duret, Nayeem Chowdhury, Richard Jarman, Matthew A Conte, Irina Maljkovic Berry, Stefan Fernandez, Chonticha Klungthong, Butsaya Thaisomboonsuk, Piyarat Suntarattiwong, Warunee Vandepitte, Stephen S Whitehead, Simon Cauchemez, Derek A T Cummings, Henrik Salje
Many pathogens continuously change their protein structure in response to immune-driven selection, resulting in weakened protection even in previously exposed individuals. In addition, for some pathogens, such as dengue virus, poorly targeted immunity is associated with increased risk of severe disease through a mechanism known as antibody-dependent enhancement. However, it remains unclear whether the antigenic distances between an individual's first infection and subsequent exposures dictate disease risk, explaining the observed large-scale differences in dengue hospitalizations across years...
April 24, 2024: Science Translational Medicine