ARBOspot: Characterization of Arbovirus Specific T Cell Response in Patients by Using Enzyme Linked Immunospot (ELISpot) Assays (ARBOspot)

March 2, 2026 updated by: Fausto Baldanti, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia

Arboviruses (arthropod-borne viruses), are a group of RNA viruses that are transmitted to vertebrate hosts by hematophagous arthropods like mosquitos, ticks, and sandflies. In Italy, arboviruses pose a considerable public health concern because of their potential to infect humans and cause severe emergent or re-emergent diseases. Over the past few decades, arboviruses have already been responsible for epidemic outbreaks in Italy, and travels increase the risk of introducing new species previously confined to tropical and sub-tropical regions. Some arboviral infections, like West Nile Virus (WNV), Toscana Virus (TOSV), Sandfly Fever Sicily Virus (SFSV), Sandfly Fever Naples Virus (SFNV), Usutu Virus (USUV), and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), are considered endemic in Italy. Others, such as Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV), Dengue Virus (DENV), Zika Virus (ZIKV), Yellow Fever Virus (YFV) and Japanese encephalitis Virus (JEV) are under surveillance since imported infections could lead to local outbreaks and subsequent endemic circulation in Italy. Moreover, the increased global travel and unpredictable climate changes could facilitate the spread of arboviral infections. Adequate diagnostic tests play a crucial role in disease surveillance, identifying potential associations between previous infections and chronic diseases and controlling outbreaks by breaking transmission chains. Furthermore, immunological tests can help predict disease severity in healthy and immunocompromised subjects and identify patients at risk for severe disease during secondary infections.

In parallel with direct molecular diagnosis tests, the development of an immunological test capable of determining specific arbovirus T cell response may be useful for diagnostic as well as for epidemiological and investigative purposes. Furthermore, its development provides a set of initial knowledge on which to base the construction of other immunological tests for future emerging viruses, providing tools to counter new epidemic outbreaks. At the same time, the evaluation of immune response is necessary in order to control and contain the spread of these viruses. In conclusion, the present study aims to investigate immunological responses in patients infected with endemic arboviruses circulating in Italy those that could potentially emerging in the future.

Molecular tests have a reduced detectability window in biological samples, which is why often they are not useful for making a diagnosis. Serological tests can give cross-reactivity phenomena between some arboviruses, making differential diagnosis difficult and often inconclusive. Objective is to assess sensitivity of immunological assays for arboviruses-specific T Cell Response (ARBOspot) in order to use them in combination with conventional diagnostic methods.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

500

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • Lombardy
      • Pavia, Lombardy, Italy, 27100

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Subjects with suspected arbovirus infection will be included in the study. All the subjects will be enrolled after signature of informed consent. Follow-up will be performed in case of confirmed arbovirus infection.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults 18 years- old and over; all sexes will be eligible for the study;
  • Suspected arbovirus infection
  • Written informed consent and any required authorization obtained from the participant prior to performing any protocol-related procedures;

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any condition that might compromise safety or interfere with study results.
  • All other conditions not present in the inclusion criteria.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Patients with suspected or confirmed arbovirus infection
Diagnostic test: Immunological assays for charactarization of T-cell mediated response
ELISpot assay will be performed for monitoring of T-cell mediated response against arboviruses
Diagnostic test: Immunological assays
Immunological assays for characterization of T-cell mediated respone against arboviruses will be performed in follow-up

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Performance of T-cell based assays for arboviruses
Time Frame: from enrolment to up 1 year
Primary endpoint is to evaluate sensitivity of immunological arboviruses Specific T Cell Response assays (ARBOspot) of patients with confirmed arbovirus infection.
from enrolment to up 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 17, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 5, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 5, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

December 18, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 2, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ARBOspot

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Arbovirus Infections

Clinical Trials on Immunological assays for charactarization of T-cell mediated response

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Jordan

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe