title: CD4+ T cells play a significant role in adoptive immunity to Chlamydia trachomatis infection of the mouse genital tract.
abstract: The ability of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to adoptively immunize mice against Chlamydia trachomatis infection of the mouse genital tract was studied. Adoptive transfer experiments were performed with splenic CD4+ or CD8+ T cells obtained from mice following resolution of a primary genital tract infection and after a secondary chlamydial challenge. The results show that donor CD4+ T cells, but not CD8+ T cells, obtained from mice following resolution of a primary infection or after secondary challenge were effective in transferring significant antichlamydial immunity to the genital tracts of naive animals. The lymphokine profiles in the culture supernatants of proliferating Chlamydia-specific CD4+ T cells obtained from mice following resolution of a primary infection and after secondary challenge were assayed by an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay. Protective CD4+ T cells restimulated in vitro secreted interleukin 2, gamma interferon, and interleukin 6, lymphokine profiles characteristic of both Th1- and Th2-like responses. Resting CD4+ T cells obtained from mice 4 months following resolution of a primary infection were also capable of conferring significant levels of adoptive protective immunity to naive mice. These findings support an important role for CD4+ T cells in acquired immunity to chlamydial infection of the genital tract and indicate that protective CD4+ immune responses in this model are relatively long lived.
authors.affiliation: Immunology Section, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, Montana 59840-2999, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Caldwell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D014623:Vaginal Diseases / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D008222:Lymphokines