Immunological Serotype Interactions And Their Effect On The Epidemiological Pattern Of Dengue

Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines
Article Date: 17 Apr 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Long-term epidemiological data reveal multi-annual fluctuations in the incidence of dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever as well as complex cyclical behaviour in the dynamics of the four serotypes of the dengue virus.

Here we show that the process of antibody-dependent enhancement alone can produce the observed periodicities and desynchronised oscillations of individual serotypes if its effects are decomposed into its two possible manifestations: enhancement of susceptibility and increased transmissibility.

Our analyses furthermore reveal a time-lagged correlation between serotype dynamics and disease incidence rates which could have important implications for understanding the irregular pattern of dengue epidemics.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of the journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org

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