title: Epstein-Barr virus-specific cytotoxic T cell response in cardiac transplant recipients.
abstract: PBLs from 10 normal seropositive donors, 15 precardiac transplant patients, and 17 postcardiac transplant patients have been assayed for their ability to mount a cytotoxic T cell response to both A- and B-type EBV. Compared with the results obtained with healthy seropositive donors, pre- and posttransplant patients had significantly weaker T cell responses against both A-type and B-type EBV. Analysis of individual patients showed a preferential T cell response to B-type EBV in 4/15 pre- and 6/17 posttransplant patients and a preferential T cell response to A-type EBV in 1/15 pretransplant and 2/17 posttransplant recipients. PBMCs were obtained from patients and analyzed for the presence of A- and B-type EBV using polymerase chain reaction. EBV types detected in the PBMCs of each individual were correlated with their EBV-specific CTL response. The results obtained indicated that the EBV-specific cytotoxic T cell response of these patients matched the EBV types with which they were infected.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Kyaw-Tanner
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Esmore
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Burrows
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Benson
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Sculley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D005260:Female; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008232:Lymphoproliferative Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*