Can Dengue Virus Immunity Protect Children From Zika Symptoms?

Since Zika and dengue viruses are closely related, could pre-existing dengue immunity also affect exposure to Zika symptoms and the virus?

Posted in PLOS MedicineAccording to researchers at the University of California (USA), an earlier dengue infection could protect children from zika symptoms.

The world of Zika virus

The infectious disease that is the Zika virus, which appeared in northeastern Brazil in 2015 and has spread rapidly across the Americas, affecting populations largely exposed to the dengue virus. Since Zika and dengue viruses are closely related, it is possible that pre-existing immunity against dengue viruses may also affect susceptibility to Zika.

However, the effect of previous dengue virus exposure on the outcome in people infected with Zika virus is unclear.

Analyze the epidemic

To investigate this potential impact, Eva Harris and her team of colleagues at the University of California badyzed the great zika epidemic of 2016 in Managua, Nicaragua, with a focus on a pediatric cohort with well-defined immune history of the dengue virus.

The community-based long-term cohort study, which is in its 15th year in a row, has followed approximately 3,700 children aged 2 to 14 years.

The researchers found that previous and recent dengue virus infection was badociated with protection against symptomatic infection with Zika virus in the total population of the cohort and among those infected with Zika virus.

However, previous or recent dengue infection does not affect the overall Zika virus infection rate.

Can we go through the protection of individuals?

These results support the idea that prior immunity to the dengue virus can potentially cross-protect individuals against symptomatic Zika.

In addition, according to the authors, further research is needed to examine the possible immunological mechanisms of cross-protection between the Zika virus and the dengue virus and to determine whether the immunity of the dengue virus also modulates the severe consequences. of infection with Zika virus, such as neurological or conbad syndromes.