Scientists at the University of Queensland (UQ) have captured the first-ever high-resolution images of the Yellow Fever Virus (YFV), a potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease that attacks the liver.
According to UQ, the breakthrough revealed key structural differences between the vaccine strain (YFV-17D) and the virulent, disease-causing strains of the virus.
Yellow fever remains a major public health concern in parts of South America and Africa. With no approved antiviral treatments available, vaccination remains the primary method of prevention, the researchers noted in a study published in Nature Communications.
Summa Bibby, a research officer at UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences and one of the study’s authors, said this marks the first time scientists have observed the virus’s complete three-dimensional structure.
“Despite decades of research on yellow fever, this is the first time a fully mature yellow fever virus particle has been captured at near-atomic resolution,” Bibby said.
She explained that the team used the university’s Binjari virus platform — a safe model that combines yellow fever’s structural genes with the backbone of a harmless virus — to produce particles suitable for imaging with a cryo-electron microscope.
The study revealed that vaccine strain particles have a smooth and stable surface, while virulent strains display bumpy and uneven surfaces. These differences affect how the human immune system recognises and responds to the virus.
“The bumpier, irregular surface of virulent strains exposes parts of the virus that are normally hidden, allowing certain antibodies to attach more easily,” Bibby explained. “In contrast, the smooth vaccine particles keep those regions covered, making them harder for some antibodies to reach.”
Researchers say the discovery offers critical insights into yellow fever biology and could pave the way for improved vaccine designs and antiviral strategies against yellow fever and related viruses such as dengue, Zika, and West Nile.
