Neutralizing Antibodies

Abstract

Neutralizing antibodies provide one of the main host defenses against viral infection. They are associated with protective immunity resulting from successful vaccination against numerous viruses, including vaccinia, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, yellow fever, rabies, adeno, and varicella zoster [1]. Although the majority of individuals naturally infected with HIV develop a neutralizing antibody response, the titers of such antibodies are low in comparison to those attained in other viral infections. Thus, the role of these antibodies in effective host immune surveillance is not yet clear. In several studies, neutralizing antibodies have been correlated with lesser disease manifestation and better clinical outcome [2-4], and decreasing neutralizing antibody titers have signaled poor prognosis [2]. Other studies, however, have failed to demonstrate a clear correlation [5-7]. The question of whether HIV neutralizing antibodies elicited during the course of infection are protective ultimately will be answered definitively by long-term prospective studies in which the immune response can be analyzed with regard to its effect on disease progression and length of survival. It is generally accepted, however, that one component of a successful HIV vaccine will be the ability to elicit high-titer neutralizing antibody. Accurate assessment of this immune response is critical therefore, both to vaccine development and to understanding the viral-host interaction during pathogenesis.

This chapter was written by Marjorie Robert-Guroff in her private capacity. No official support or endorsement by NIH or NCI is intended or should be inferred.