Nucleic Acid Vaccine Platform for DENGUE and ZIKA Flaviviruses

Abstract

Dengue virus and Zika virus are mosquito-borne, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that belong to the Flaviviridae family. Both the viruses are closely related and have similarities with other flaviviruses. Dengue virus (DENV) causes a severe febrile illness with fever, joint pain, and rash leading to a life-threatening condition in severe cases. While Zika virus (ZIKV) primarily causes mild fever, it can be passed from a pregnant mother to her fetus, resulting in severe birth defect microcephaly and even causing a rare autoimmune disease—Guillain–Barre syndrome. To date, there are no approved DENV and ZIKA vaccines available, except a Dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia, Sanofi Pasteur Inc.) recently approved to be used only for 9–16 years of age groups living in endemic areas and having a previous record of confirmed dengue infection. There are several potential vaccine candidates in the clinical trials based on multiple vaccine platforms, such as live attenuated, subunit, nucleic acid, and viral vector-based vaccines. In the current review, we have focused exclusively on the nucleic acid vaccine platform and discussed the progress of all the DNA/RNA vaccine candidates under preclinical and clinical studies for DENV and ZIKA viruses. Additionally, we have described a brief history of the emergence of these flaviviruses, major structural similarities between them, prominent vaccine targets, and the mechanism of virus entry and infection.

Peptide-Based Flavivirus Biosensors: From Cell Structure to Virological and Serological Detection Methods

“…Although UTR is not a part of the protein-coding region, it can be translated into a peptide. Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright 2022 MDPI.…”

Anesthesia and perioperative care management in patients with Dengue Fever: considerations and challenges

“… 1 Both are tetravalent live attenuated vaccines targeting all four Dengue serotypes and approved for 9 years and older individuals from endemic areas, with previously confirmed Dengue infection. 1 , 9 , 28 The Brazilian Ministry of Health has incorporated Qdenga as a public health policy since December 2023. 29 Adverse effects in vaccinated patients during the perioperative period remain controversial, but there is an isolated recommendation to postpone elective procedures for 3 weeks after attenuated virus immunization and wait 7 days following surgery for vaccination.…”

Kaempferol: A Review of Current Evidence of Its Antiviral Potential

“…This pathogen has a zoonotic transmission [161], and infections caused by it vary in severity; they can be subclinical and self-limiting or cause notable fever, which can be of haemorrhagic nature in the more severe cases, potentially leading to dengue shock syndrome [161,162]. There is no dedicated antiviral treatment; however, several vaccines have been developed for children and adolescents living in endemic areas as well as subjects previously confirmed with dengue fever [163][164][165][166]. Therefore, it is of great importance to conduct research with the purpose of identifying new substances which can be used against the virus.…”