title: Rabies-specific production of interleukin-2 by peripheral blood lymphocytes from human rabies vaccinees.
abstract: Cell-mediated immunity induced by rabies vaccination was studied in humans by the determination of specific interleukin-2 (IL-2) production in a large number of donors (postexposure immunized patients and pre-exposure immunized laboratory workers). Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 35 donors were tested for IL-2 production after in vitro stimulation by different rabies and rabies-related viruses. IL-2 responses were compared to antibody recognition of these different virus serotypes by sera from the same individuals. IL-2 was produced by PBL from more than 85% of donors after stimulation with inactivated and purified rabies viruses (IPRV) prepared from either Pittman Moore (PM) or Pasteur Virus (PV) strains. IL-2 was also produced by 65 and 45% of donor PBL stimulated with IPRV from the European Bat Lyssavirus (EBL) and Mokola (Mok) rabies-related virus strains respectively. No correlation was found between the production of IL-2 by PBL and the levels of virus neutralizing antibody (VNAb). Moreover, 50, 25 and 35% of donors produced IL-2 after stimulation of their PBL with ribonucleoprotein (RNP) from PV-, EBL- and Mok-viruses, respectively. These results obtained with a large number of human rabies vaccinees and using an assay specific to T-cell activation confirm the significant cross-reactivity of T-cell responses directed against rabies and rabies-related viruses. This study shows that IL-2 production could be used for the study of cell-mediated immunity and T-cell memory induced in humans by rabies vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Unité de la Rage, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Perrin
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Joffret
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zanetti
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bourhy
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gontier
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fritzell
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leclerc
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sureau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010325:Pasteurella / Q000276:immunology; D011818:Rabies / Q000517:prevention & control; D011819:Rabies Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D012209:Rhabdoviridae / Q000276:immunology; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007376:Interleukin-2; D011819:Rabies Vaccines; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins