Being a flavivirus, TBE immunity can have impact on other flavivirus infections and vaccinations, for example yellow fever virus. This post describes a paper where B cell ELISpot was used to evaluate the antibody response to yellow fever vaccination in individuals previously vaccinated for TBE.
In this study by Santos-Peral et al, B cell ELISpot was used to assess the specific antibody-secreting cells generated after yellow fever vaccination, particularly focusing on individuals with prior tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) immunity.
TBE is caused by a virus (TBEV)
By analyzing the B cell responses, the researchers could determine how pre-existing flavivirus immunity influenced the production of cross-reactive IgG antibodies. ELISpot revealed that TBEV-pre-vaccinated individuals developed a skewed B cell response, with a focus on antibodies targeting the pan-flavivirus fusion loop epitope (FLE), which contributed to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE).
The ELISpot technique was key in identifying differences in B cell activation and antibody specificity between TBEV-pre-vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
