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Is antibody-dependent enhancement playing a role in COVID-19 pathogenesis?
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2020.20249
Publication Date: 16.04.2020
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20249

The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is currently believed to proceed via both directly cytotoxic and immune-mediated mechanisms [1]. An additional mechanism facilitating viral cell entry and subsequent damage may involve the so-called antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). ADE is a very well-known cascade of events whereby viruses may infect susceptible cells via interaction between virions complexed with antibodies or complement components and, respectively, Fc or complement receptors, leading to the amplification of their replication [2] (fig. 1). This phenomenon is of enormous relevance not only for the understanding of viral pathogenesis, but also for developing antiviral strategies, notably vaccines

https://smw.ch/article/doi/smw.2020.20249