Heterogeneity of infection enhancement of dengue 2 strains by monoclonal antibodies.

Seven dengue (DEN) 2 virus strains were studied for antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection in P388D1 mouse macrophage-like cells by using a panel of five DEN 2 monoclonal antibodies. DEN 2 strains were of diverse temporal, geographic, and disease origins. By hemagglutination inhibition and a plaque-reduction neutralization test in LLC-MK2 cells, two of the monoclonal antibodies were type specific and three were flavivirus group reactive. In LLC-MK2 cells, the seven DEN 2 viruses each were neutralized by all five monoclonal antibodies. In P388D1 cells, two DEN 2 strains were enhanced by only three monoclonal antibodies, two by four antibodies, and three by all five antibodies, demonstrating that in some instances enhancement is epitope related and not a concentration-dependent function of virus-antibody interactions. However, ADE did not segregate with determinants exhibiting either the flavivirus group or the dengue type specificity. The presence or absence of enhancement determinants on DEN 2 strains did not correlate with the geographic origin of virus or the severity of disease yielding the strain. The heterogeneous distribution of enhancement determinants may provide a valence mechanism contributing to a multiple increase of infection enhancement in macrophages.