Clearance of persistent respiratory syncytial virus infections in immunodeficient mice following transfer of primed T cells.
Little is known of the role of T-cell mediated immune responses in the clearance and pathogenesis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. In this study, we established persistent pulmonary RSV infections in athymic nu/nu BALB/c mice or immunodeficient irradiated BALB/c mice, and examined the patterns of virus clearance following adoptive transfer of splenic memory T cells. Primed T cells transferred between Day 5 and Day 8 of infection will clear lung RSV from both nu/nu mice and irradiated mice within 10 days of transfer. Partially purified Lyt 2+ T cells are more effective than L3T4+-selected T cells. No RSV-specific serum antibody could be detected, suggesting that clearance is by an antibody-independent mechanism. In contrast, delayed (Day 14) transfer of primed L3T4+-selected cells clears lung RSV from nu/nu mice, and this correlates with RSV-specific serum antibody production. Clearance is not seen following Day 14 transfer of total primed T cells or T cells selected for the Lyt 2+ subset.
D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes / Q000276:immunology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010253:Respirovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors