
Overview
Sujan Shresta, Ph.D., and her team study the immunology and virology of mosquito-borne human pathogens such as dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV). DENV causes a spectrum of clinical disease ranging from dengue fever, a self-limited febrile illness, to a life-threatening syndrome called severe dengue or dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome. ZIKV has been proven to cause serious birth defects, and is also associated with other neurological conditions including Guillain-Barré Syndrome and meningoencephalitis.
Studies suggest that the host’s immune system plays a dual role in protection and pathogenesis; however, how the immune response to DENV and ZIKV protects against or contributes to severe disease remains unclear and controversial. Using mouse models, primary human cell culture models, and patient samples, Dr. Shresta and her team dissect the protective versus pathogenic mechanisms of the immune system in response to these viral infections. As mosquito-borne viruses are increasingly spreading from tropical to temperate zones worldwide, the team has also begun to investigate the emergence of DENV and ZIKV in Nepal. A better understanding of the virus-host interactions is critical for developing much-needed antivirals and vaccines against DENV and ZIKV.
Featured publications
Mapping and role of the CD8+ T cell response during primary zika virus infection in mice
Lab Members

Sujan Shresta, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine ResearchResearch Projects
Adaptive Immune Response to DENV and ZIKV
Vaccine development for DENV is challenging in that the vaccine must induce long-lasting immunity against all four DENV serotypes (DENV1-4),
Development of Vaccines Against DENV and ZIKV
Emergence of Mosquito-Borne Viruses Such as DENV and ZIKV in Nepal
Innate Immune Response to DENV and ZIKV
The IFN system is a major mechanism by which many viruses evade the cellular antiviral response. DENV and ZIKV can
From the lab

Fighting Zika? Call in the T cells
LA JOLLA—Where Aedes mosquitoes fly, Zika virus may not be far behind. Although the explosive 2015–2016 Zika epidemics in the

Fighting Mosquito-Borne Viruses Requires a Precise Balance of Immune Cells
LA JOLLA—Every year, more than 68,000 people end up with a clinical case of Japanese encephalitis. One in four of

What we can learn from SARS
LA JOLLA, CA—Seventeen years ago, another viral outbreak was in the news. People wore masks, many were nervous to fly.
Awards & Honors
- The Blasker Award from the San Diego Foundation, 2008
- Research Scholar Development award from the NIAID, 2005