Neutralization of dengue virus in the presence of Fc receptor-mediated phagocytosis distinguishes serotype-specific from cross-neutralizing antibodies

Although several vaccine candidates are presently in various phases of clinical trials, the field still lacks an effective tool to determine protective immunity. The presence of cross-neutralizing antibodies limits a serological approach to identify the etiology and distinguish lifelong from short-lived humoral protection. A recent study indicated that cross-reactive but not serotype-specific antibodies require high antibody concentration to co-ligate FcγRIIB and inhibit infection. Here, we tested if these differences could allow us to distinguish serotype-specific from cross-neutralizing antibodies. Using 30 blinded early convalescent serum samples from patients with virologically confirmed dengue, we demonstrate that neutralization in the presence of FcγR-mediated phagocytosis in THP-1 correctly identifies the DENV serotype of the infection in 93.3% of the cases compared to 76.7% with plaque reduction neutralization test. Our findings could provide a new approach for evaluating DENV neutralization and suggest that in addition to blocking specific ligand-receptor interactions for viral entry, antibodies must prevent viral uncoating during FcγR-mediated phagocytosis for complete humoral protection.