Flavivirus research at the armed forces research institute of medical sciences, bangkok, thailand

摘要

The Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS) in Bangkok, Thailand was established in 1960. The Department of Virology has a long tradition of flavivirus research that started with studies on dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). AFRIMS has contributed to flavivirus research with observations on the epidemiology of dengue and Japanese encephalitis (JE) and the development of key assays to test for these viral pathogens. Notable achievements were the development of the plaque reduction neutralisation assay and the IgM/IgG enzyme immuno-assay for JE and dengue as well as the JE vaccine trial in Thai children. The department of Virology, AFRIMS, continues this strong tradition of flavivirus research initiated in the 1960s. Today, scientific protocols are being performed with both Thai and international collaborators on the immunology of DHF, the pathogenesis of asymoptomatic dengue disease, the long-term circulation of dengue serotypes in Thailand and vaccine development of a tetravalent dengue vaccine. Japanese encephalitis is an additional important focus of our flavivirus research. Active research protocols are ongoing on the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of JE, the occurrence of natural JE infection and immunologic boosting in children vaccinated with the killed JE vaccine and the development of new second generation JE vaccines. The Department maintains a high level of expertise and is a resource on flavivirus diagnostics, the epidemiology and immunology of flavivirus diseases in Southeast Asia, and flavivirus vaccine development.