Screening test for neutralizing antibodies against yellow fever virus, based on a flavivirus pseudotype

PLoS One. 2017 May 31;12(5):e0177882. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177882. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Given the possibility of yellow fever virus reintroduction in epidemiologically receptive geographic areas, the risk of vaccine supply disruption is a serious issue. New strategies to reduce the doses of injected vaccines should be evaluated very carefully in terms of immunogenicity. The plaque reduction test for the determination of neutralizing antibodies (PRNT) is particularly time-consuming and requires the use of a confinement laboratory. We have developed a new test based on the use of a non-infectious pseudovirus (WN/YF17D). The presence of a reporter gene allows sensitive determination of neutralizing antibodies by flow cytometry. This WN/YF17D test was as sensitive as PRNT for the follow-up of yellow fever vaccinees. Both tests lacked specificity with sera from patients hospitalized for acute Dengue virus infection. Conversely, both assays were strictly negative in adults never exposed to flavivirus infection or vaccination, and in patients sampled some time after acute Dengue infection. This WN/YF17D test will be particularly useful for large epidemiological studies and for screening for neutralizing antibodies against yellow fever virus.

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / blood*
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Dengue / immunology
  • Dengue Virus / immunology*
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Limit of Detection
  • Viral Plaque Assay
  • Virulence
  • Yellow fever virus / immunology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the French "Agence Nationale de Recherches contre les hépatites et le SIDA" ANRS (http://www.anrs.fr/), Grant number: ANRS EP46 NOVAA; Funding: FS. Cerba laboratories just provide the financial support as Dr. Poveda’s salaries and have no role in the study design and analysis or decision to publish. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.