ANTIBODY-DEPENDENT ENHANCEMENT OF INFECTION AND THE PATHOGENESIS OF VIRAL DISEASE

Antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE) is an in vitro serol ogical phenomenon -or a group of phenomena-in which viral infection of susceptible cells is modified by the addition of virus-reactive antib ody. Evidence suggests that ADE reflects immunologic processes that oc cur in vivo. Various severe and even fatal viral conditions of humans and animals, including dengue shock syndrome, the ''early-death phenom enon'' in experimental infections of immune animals, and other vaccine - and immunoglobulin-modified conditions, have been attributed to ADE by some researchers. ADE has caused great concern in relation to the d evelopment of vaccines against dengue virus and human immunodeficiency virus. More data are urgently needed on the mechanisms and determinan ts of ADE and on its alleged role in disease pathogenesis and in vacci ne-associated phenomena.