Changes in cytokine production after measles virus vaccination: predominant production of IL-4 suggests induction of a Th2 response.
Immunization with live measles virus vaccine produces transient depression of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin test responses and mitogen-induced lymphoproliferation irrespective of the serostatus of the recipient of the vaccine. To investigate this immune suppression further we studied peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from adults before (N = 17) and at various times after (N = 34) immunization with measles virus vaccine. PHA-induced lymphoproliferation was decreased after vaccine and this was partly reversed by supplementation with rIL-2. There was no change in the proportion of PBMC that were CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, NK cells, or B cells as analyzed by flow cytometry. Supernatant fluids were collected from PBMC after 72 hr in culture. Analysis for cytokines after vaccination showed spontaneous production of high levels of IL-4 (vaccinees 99 +/- 23; controls 5.6 +/- 5.6 ng/ml, P = 0.031) and TNF alpha (vaccinees 140 +/- 45; controls 42 +/- 14 pg/ml, P = 0.072) accompanied by low levels of IFN-gamma (vaccinees 1.3 +/- 0.6; controls 14.3 +/- 10.1 U/ml), IL-1 alpha (vaccinees 111 +/- 22; controls 442 +/- 107 pg/ml, P = 0.0001), and PGE2 (vaccinees 75 +/- 39; controls 300 +/- 72 pg/ml, P = 0.048). Increased amounts of IL-4 were also produced after stimulation with PHA (vaccinees 140 +/- 25; controls 40 +/- 40 ng/ml, P = 0.013) while levels of IFN-gamma and soluble IL-2 receptor were similar to controls and levels of IL-1 alpha (vaccinees 443 +/- 67; controls 792 +/- 118 pg/ml, P = 0.026) remained low. Addition of rIL-2 had little effect on these cytokine levels. These data suggest that Th2 cells producing IL-4 are preferentially activated by measures vaccine and may contribute to the immunologic abnormalities associated with immunization for measles and possibly other viral infections.
Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
B J
BJ
Ward
D E
DE
Griffin
D000328:Adult; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D014611:Vaccination
D016207:Cytokines; D008458:Measles Vaccine; D015847:Interleukin-4