Research Article

Antibody-dependent Enhancement of Yellow Fever and Japanese Encephalitis Virus Neurovirulence

Journal of General Virology 1989; 70(6):1605 · https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-70-6-1605

View at publisher PubMed

Abstract

Antibody-dependent enhancement of yellow fever virus neurovirulence, as measured by a reduction in the average survival time of groups of mice, was demonstrated with wild-type or vaccine strains of yellow fever virus and with Japanese encephalitis virus using intraperitoneally administered monoclonal antibodies specific for the viral E glycoprotein of yellow fever virus. Enhancement of virulence could be induced by neutralizing, non-neutralizing or protective antibodies if the virus was allowed to establish a productive infection in the mouse brain before the antibody was administered. The implications of antibody-dependent enhancement in flaviviruses are discussed.