Neutralizing Antibodies against West Nile Virus from Human B Cells

West Nile virus (WNV) infection is a mosquito-borne disease that can cause severe neurological illness. We analyzed the humoral response to WNV of subjects infected with WNV at different stages of the infection and at different levels of detail, from single cells to the repertoire level. We integrated single-cell analysis by microengraving with next-generation sequencing and identified four novel WNV neutralizing antibodies with potential use as therapeutics against WNV infection. The results indicate persistence of WNV-specific memory B cells and antibody-secreting cells in post-convalescent subjects and suggest that the antibody response itself does not predict the clinical severity of the disease. ]]>
Confirmation of West Nile Virus infection Diagnosis and stratification of WNV infection were determined following CDC guidelines and definitions to a severe neuroinvasive phenotype, mild fever-only phenotype, or asymptomatic infection. Infection was validated by qualitative rapid nucleic acid test at the blood bank, positive immunoblot or IgM ELISAs. ]]>