Figure 5.

Infection with new dengue virus 2 (DV2) induces the appearance of (activation) CD80 and (maturation) CD83 molecules in epidermis. Conventional skin sections of DV2-infected explants (b–d, f–h) revealed the emergence of CD83⁺-mature dendritic cell (DC) (blue labelling in b-d, g and arrows in b) and of CD80⁺-activated DC (blue labelling in f) confined to the epidermis, but without apparent correspondence to the scant and weak DV positivity found (faint blue labelling in h, arrows) in skin serial sections of DV-inoculated explants. (c) represents a magnification of b, while d is a magnification of another skin explant. No CD83⁺-mature DCs were found in the dermis of DV2-infected explants (b, c, d, g). Absence of mature CD83⁺ DC and of CD80 is also observed in control-cultured non-infected explants (a and e, respectively). Pictures were taken at 5 days after culture initiation and are representatives of five skin samples from different individuals. Dotted line (b) indicates the dermo-epidermal junction, and brownish colour is due to melanin⁺ cells in these skin types.