title: T cell redistribution kinetics after secondary infection of BALB/c mice with respiratory syncytial virus.
abstract: BALB/c mice were infected intranasally with live respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and reinfected 4 weeks later. At regular intervals thereafter groups of animals were killed and T cell subsets were determined in blood, spleen and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) with flow cytometry employing T cell subset-specific MoAbs. Total lymphocyte counts in the peripheral blood decreased 1-3 days after infection, returning to preinfection levels on day 8 (P = 0.0111). Simultaneously, a marked increase of lymphocytes was noted in the BAL, reaching a maximum at day 8 (P < 0.0001). Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells decreased in the blood on day 1-3 (P < 0.0097 and P = 0.003 respectively), and increased in the BAL progressively towards a maximum at day 8 (P < 0.0001). In BAL, CD4+ cells increased 35-fold and CD8+ cells 27-fold during the first week after reinfection. On the other hand, in the spleen a significant decline of CD4+ and CD8+ cells was noted 1 day post-infection (P = 0.0002). It is concluded that a strong T cell redistribution response among systemic and mucosal tissues occurs after reinfection with RSV. The kinetics of this response differ both quantitatively and qualitatively from the T cell response after primary infection. The magnitude of cell traffic is more pronounced in blood, spleen and BAL than after primary infection. CD4+ T cells are more intensively distributed to the lungs than after primary infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kimpen
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Ogra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses; D010253:Respirovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*