Pathogenesis of Dengue viral infections

Dengue viral infections are one of the most important mosquito borne viral infections in the world. There are four dengue virus serotypes (DEN1-4) which are closely related. Initial infection with a particular serotype is known as primary infection, which is usually asymptomatic or results in mild disease manifestations. Although cross reactive T cells and cross reactive antibodies have been shown to contribute to disease pathogenesis, these mechanisms alone do not explain the immunopathological mechanisms leading to severe disease. However, studies have suggested that immunopathological, host genetic and viral factors all contribute to the occurrence of severe disease. Therefore, it is important to further investigate the quality of dengue specific immune responses in patients with acute severe and asymptomatic dengue infection, to determine the immune correlates of severe clinical disease and protection.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljid.v1i1.2987

Sri Lankan Journal of Infectious Diseases Vol.1(1) 2011: 2-8