title: Lymphocyte polyclonal activation: a pitfall for vaccine design against infectious agents.
abstract: In this article, Bernardo Reina-San-Martin, Alain Cosson and Paola Minoprio summarize the marked alterations in the immune system functions after infection that might account for the poor success of effective parasite vaccine development. Many of the studies on oligoclonal B- and T-cell responses to parasite antigens aiming at vaccination strategies would seem to ignore more general, and perhaps fundamental, aspects of parasite-immune system interactions. In essence, because of its consequences on immunopathology and parasite escape, the authors ascribe a central importance in the pathogenesis of parasitic diseases to the 'nonspecific' polyclonal lymphocyte activation that occurs during infection. Hence, novel targets and strategies for immune intervention should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724, Paris, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Reina-San-Martin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cosson
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Minoprio
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D017635:Clonal Anergy / Q000276:immunology; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008934:Mitogens / Q000276:immunology; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014612:Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D008934:Mitogens; D018089:Superantigens; D014612:Vaccines