Opportunities and challenges for the development of dengue vaccine

Abstract

Dengue virus (DENV) is an enveloped single positive-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Flaviviridae family. It is the cause of dengue fever, life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are responsible for the wide transmission of DENV in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. Currently, there have been several dengue vaccines entering clinical trials, including the Sanofi Pasteur chimeric yellow fever dengue tetravalent vaccine (CYD), which has been licensed for use in some countries. However, CYD does not provide adequate protection against all four serotypes of DENV and induces severe dengue diseases in young and seronegative vaccine recipients. Therefore, a more efficacious dengue vaccine is still needed. Here, we reviewed the opportunities and challenges for the development of dengue vaccines. Key words: Dengue virus; Immunity; Vaccine; Sanofi Pasteur