Researchers have shown that one infection with Zika virus
protects against future infection, though pregnancy may drastically increase the time the virus stays in the body.
The question is, can these antibodies
protect against a future infection with the virus and related filoviruses?
While both groups of mice fought off the infection equally well, the second group of mice was not able to generate memory T cells to
protect against future infection due to impaired NFkB signals within the cell.
But their results showing that one infection primes the immune system to
protect against future infection could provide some peace of mind for millions left in the wake of the Zika epidemic.
These vaccines aim to
protect against future infections and look to create new therapies for diseases already affecting people.
Not exact matches
It renders the virus incapable of causing an
infection but still provokes the immune response that will
protect vaccine recipients
against future infections.
Future studies will include closer biological investigation to understand exactly how built - up immunoglobulin antibodies
protect against Zika
infection in mothers and their developing fetal offspring.
One is that there is no interaction between antibody - mediated immunity and T cell immunity (which we know is an oversimplification), and that the
future universal vaccines do not actually
protect against infection (this does seem a rather radical assumption).