Primary vaccination with low dose live dengue 1 virus generates a proinflammatory, multifunctional T cell response in humans

The four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1–DENV-4) have a large impact on global health, causing 50–100 million cases of dengue fever annually. Herein, we describe the first kinetic T cell response to a low-dose DENV-1 vaccination study (10 PFU) in humans. Using flow cytometry, we found that proinflammatory cytokines, IFNγ, TNFα, and IL-2, were generated by DENV-1-specific CD4+ cells 21 days post-DENV-1 exposure, and their production continued through the latest time-point, day 42 (p
Author Summary 40% of the world's population is at risk for developing dengue fever, an acute febrile illness caused by the 4 serotypes of dengue viruses (DENV). Though most of the 50–100 million annual DENV infections resolve without medical intervention, approximately 500,000 cases are severe and require hospitalization. Supportive care is currently the only available treatment for dengue disease. As a result, DENV infections cause strain on healthcare systems and economic burden in endemic countries. Much of the research in the dengue field has focused on understanding the mechanism of severe dengue disease. To better understand human adaptive immune responses to asymptomatic or mild DENV infections, we used longitudinal specimens collected following low dose vaccination with a live DENV-1 candidate vaccine. We found that CD4+ T cells made the proinflammatory cytokines, IFNγ, TNFα and IL-2, 3 weeks following exposure to DENV-1. IFNγ and TNFα production continued for 6 weeks post-vaccination, our final time-point. T cell responses were predominantly multifunctional: T cells produced ≥2 cytokines simultaneously. Lastly, we observed little cross-reactivity in T cell responses. This work helps establish the kinetics and characteristics of a primary adaptive immune response to DENV and aids in the development of a tetravalent vaccine against DENV.