Emory Vaccine Center-India partnership sheds light on Dengue immune response

India suffers from the highest number of dengue infections in the world, but there are few studies, if any, to understand the immune cells involved in fighting the virus. A recent study published in the Journal of Virology, by joint efforts among scientists from Emory, India and Thailand, sheds novel insights on the properties of a class of immune cells known as CD8 T cells, which are involved in fighting dengue virus infection. Human infections with dengue virus often lead to debilitating illness, hemorrhage and death, especially among children. Currently one third of the global population is under the threat of dengue virus infection. The virus continues spreading globally, causing huge public health concern including the Americas. The study analyzed a large number of dengue-infected children from India. CD8 T cells expanded massively in the dengue patients, often reaching the levels seen in Ebola infected patients, the researchers say. The expansion was strikingly...