Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine breakthrough infections induce aberrant T cell and antibody responses to non-structural proteins

Aregay, Amare (author), Slunečko, Jan (author), Korva, Miša (author), Bogovič, Petra (author), Resman Rus, Katarina (author), Knap, Nataša (author), Avšič-Županc, Tatjana (author), Rimmelzwaan, Guus F. (author)

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) vaccine breakthrough (VBT) infections are not uncommon in endemic areas. The clinical and immunological outcomes have been poorly investigated. We assessed the magnitude and specificity of virus-specific antibody and T cell responses after TBE in previously vaccinated subjects and compared the results with those of unvaccinated TBE patients and study subjects that received vaccination without VBT infection. Symptomatic TBEV infection of unvaccinated study subjects induced virus-specific antibody responses to the E protein and non-structural protein 1 (NS1) as well as T cell responses to structural and other non-structural (NS) proteins. After VBT infections, significantly impaired NS1-specific antibody responses were observed, while the virus-specific T cell responses to the NS proteins were relatively strong. VBT infection caused predominantly moderate to severe disease during hospitalization. The level of TBEV EDIII- and NS1-specific antibodies in unvaccinated convalescent patients inversely correlated with TBE severity and neurological symptoms early after infection.

• Language: English
• Keywords: tick-borne encephalitis, vaccine, T-cells
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 9 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 9, art. 141
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183644
• UDC: 616.9
• ISSN on article: 2059-0105
• DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00936-7
• COBISS.SI-ID: 203877635
• Publication date in RUL: 18.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: npj vaccines
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• ISSN: 2059-0105
• COBISS.SI-ID: 526077721

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: klopni encefalitis, cepivo, T celice