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Neutralizing Antibodies Against West Nile Virus Identified Directly From Human B Cells By Single-Cell Analysis And Next Generation Sequencing, K. Tsioris, N. T. Gupta, A. O. Ogunniyi, R. M. Zimnisky, F. Qian, Y. Yao, X. Wang, J. N. Stern, R. Chari, J. C. Love

Joel N.H. Stern

West Nile virus (WNV) infection is an emerging mosquito-borne disease that can lead to severe neurological illness and currently has no available treatment or vaccine. Using microengraving, an integrated single-cell analysis method, we analyzed a cohort of subjects infected with WNV - recently infected and post-convalescent subjects - and efficiently identified four novel WNV neutralizing antibodies. We also assessed the humoral response to WNV on a single-cell and repertoire level by integrating next generation sequencing (NGS) into our analysis. The results from single-cell analysis indicate persistence of WNV-specific memory B cells and antibody-secreting cells in post-convalescent subjects. These cells exhibited …