title: Number and distribution of T lymphocytes in the small intestinal mucosa of calves inoculated with rotavirus.
abstract: An understanding of the immune response to rotavirus is needed to develop effective prophylaxis. There is evidence that cell-mediated responses may be involved and to extend these observations, rotavirus antigen and the three major T cell subsets, BoCD4+, BoCD8+, and BoWC1+ gamma/delta lymphocytes were immunostained in tissue sections from calves killed at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days post inoculation and quantified by image analysis. It was established that in control calves, BoCD4+ lymphocytes were predominantly in the lamina propria, while the majority of BoCD8+ and BoWC1+ gamma/delta lymphocytes were in the epithelium. Rotavirus infection was seen throughout the small intestine with the greatest amount of viral antigen detected at 4 days post inoculation in the mid and distal small intestine. Increased numbers of all subsets were detected; small increases in intraepithelial BoCD4+ and BoWC1+ gamma/delta T lymphocytes were observed especially in the distal small intestine, while larger increases in BoCD8+ cells were detected in the epithelium and lamina propria of the proximal, mid and distal small intestine. The timing and location of these increases in T lymphocyte subsets is indicative of a specific immune response involving BoCD8+ and BoWC1+ gamma/delta T lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: AFRC Institute for Animal Health, Compton, Newbury, UK.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bridger
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Cook
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000276:immunology; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral