Defining the "Correlate(s) of Protection" to tick-borne encephalitis vaccination and infection - key points and outstanding questions

Rahel Ackermann-Gäumann; Phung Lang; Kyra D Zens

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2024.1352720

Defining the "Correlate(s) of Protection" to tick-borne encephalitis vaccination and infection - key points and outstanding questions

Front Immunol. 2024 Jan 22:15:1352720. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1352720. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Rahel Ackermann-Gäumann^#^{1

2}, Phung Lang³, Kyra D Zens^#^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Microbiologie, ADMED Analyses et Diagnostics Médicaux, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
² Swiss National Reference Center for Tick-transmitted Diseases, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
³ Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁴ Institute for Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Tick-borne Encephalitis (TBE) is a severe disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS) caused by the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). The generation of protective immunity after TBEV infection or TBE vaccination relies on the integrated responses of many distinct cell types at distinct physical locations. While long-lasting memory immune responses, in particular, form the basis for the correlates of protection against many diseases, these correlates of protection have not yet been clearly defined for TBE. This review addresses the immune control of TBEV infection and responses to TBE vaccination. Potential correlates of protection and the durability of protection against disease are discussed, along with outstanding questions in the field and possible areas for future research.

Keywords: cellular immunity; correlates of protection; humoral immunity; orthoflavivirus; tick-borne encephalitis (TBE); vaccination.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Central Nervous System
Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne*
Encephalitis, Tick-Borne*
Humans
Vaccination

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by a collaborative grant from Pfizer awarded to RA-G and KZ.