Arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family represents an issue worldwide, particularly because it can lead to serious illness and death in some countries. There is still a great complexity in obtaining effective therapies and specific and sensitive diagnostic tests, due to the high antigenic similarity between them. This similarity may account for antibodies cross reactivity which has positive and negative consequences for the course of infectious diseases. Among dengue virus (DENV) serotype infections, the cross-reactivity can increase virus replication and the risk of a severe disease by a mechanism known as an antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). The search for serological biomarkers through monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that identify unique viral regions can assist in the differential detection, whereas the development of recombinant antibodies with a neutralizing potential can lead to the establishment of efficacious treatments. The Phage Display methodology emerged as one of the main alternatives for the selection of human MAbs with high affinity for a specific target. Therefore, this technology can be a faster alternative for the development of specific diagnostic platforms and efficient and safe treatments for flavivirus infections. In this context, we propose for this chapter a discussion about Phage Display as a strategy to obtain MAbs for DENV and other flaviviruses.
Part of the book: Dengue Fever in a One Health Perspective