Children who experience multiple cases of dengue virus develop an army of dengue-fighting T cells, according to a new study led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI).
The findings, published recently in JCI Insights, suggest that these T cells are key to dengue virus immunity. In fact, most children who experienced two or more dengue infections showed very minor symptoms-or no symptoms at all-when they caught the virus again.
We saw a significant T cell response in children who had been infected more than once before.”
Daniela Weiskopf, Ph.D., study leader and LJI Assistant Professor
Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people each year, and there are few vaccines and no approved therapies available for any of the four species, or “serotypes,” of the virus. The researchers hope their findings can inform the development of a dengue virus vaccine that prompts a similarly strong T cell response.
This research comes as dengue-carrying mosquitos expand their territory into new regions, including Southern California. Health officials in California reported the state’s first-ever case of locally acquired dengue virus in 2023. Since then, Los Angeles County has reported 12 additional cases of locally acquired dengue virus, and San Diego County has confirmed two locally acquired cases.
“Dengue virus is expanding into areas where the majority of people have never seen the virus,” says Weiskopf, who is a member of LJI’s Center for Vaccine Innovation. “That will change the game.”
T cells help fight dengue
Weiskopf and her