archives@tulane.edu / Zika virus (ZIKV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, was the cause of a large
viral outbreak reaching across the Americas during 2015 and 2016. Discovered in 1947,
it has historically been a neglected disease, due to its emergence in humans on a large
scale being recent. At the time of the outbreak, no FDA approved ZIKV diagnostics
existed, and those that were able to detect the virus were unable to distinguish it from
related viruses such as Dengue virus (DENV), and at this time, no approved therapeutics
or vaccines are available. We investigated the ability of diagnostics targeted toward both
anti-NS1 antibodies and NS1 antigen circulating during infection to detect current or past
ZIKV disease, as well as the capability of NS1 to produce a protective response. Our
studies suggest anti-NS1diagnostics are feasible, though some populations may display
an immune response reminiscent of a prior infection. Levels of circulating NS1 were
lower than those produced during DENV infection, though were still detectable with our
assay. Additionally, intraperitoneal immunization with NS1 produced an anti-ZIKV NS1
response that coincided with a decrease in viremia, though further work was needed to
discern life-prolonging effects. Together, this work furthers the development of the tools
necessary to combat future outbreaks of ZIKV in vulnerable populations. / 1 / Brandon Beddingfield
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_120381 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Contributors | Beddingfield, Brandon (author), Garry, Robert (Thesis advisor), School of Medicine Microbiology and Immunology (Degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | electronic, pages: 186 |
| Rights | No embargo, Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law. |
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