Development of a potent and protective germline-like antibody lineage against Zika virus in a convalescent human

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is associated with severe neurological complications such as Guillain–Barré (GB) syndrome in adults and congenital microcephaly in newborns. Currently, there are no vaccines or therapeutics available to prevent or treat ZIKV infection. We and others have identified ZIKV-neutralizing human antibodies capable of protecting animals against ZIKV infection in challenge models. However, how these potent human antibodies evolve during natural infection remains unknown. Here, we report the longitudinal analysis of one such antibody, ZK2B10, by combining next-generation sequencing (NGS) of B-cell repertoire and functional studies. The ZK2B10 germline-like antibodies demonstrated strong neutralizing activity in vitro and protected against lethal ZIKV challenge in vivo. These findings suggest that the protective neutralizing antibody response can be achieved shortly after ZIKV infection. Our study thus offers new hope and promise for the development of an effective ZIKV vaccine.