Long-term memory cellular immune response to dengue virus after a natural primary infection.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to examine the memory T-cell response to dengue virus 20 years after a primary infection. We took advantage of the exceptional epidemiologic situation in Cuba, where the population initially suffered two large successive epidemics due to dengue virus 1 and 2 respectively over a 4-year period. Thereafter, no dengue virus circulation was subsequently observed, except for the Santiago de Cuba municipality.


METHODS
T-cell response was evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 20 individuals with history of a primary infection by dengue virus 1 or 2. Methods previously shown to induce lymphoproliferation of CD4+ memory T-cell subpopulations were used. We evaluated the proliferative responses generated in those PBMCs after stimulation with dengue virus 1, 2, 3 and 4 antigens in a serotype-specific and serotype-crossreactive way.


RESULTS
Serotype-specific and serotype-crossreactive lymphoproliferative responses in all PBMCs donated by dengue immune donors were observed. The serotype-crossreactive response for dengue 2 was stronger than for the rest of the serotypes.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first report of cellular memory lymphocyte response specific for dengue virus detected 20 years after a primary infection by dengue.
Department of Virology, PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Viral Diseases, Tropical Medicine Institute, Havana, Cuba. siebet2002@yahoo.es
Beatríz
B
Sierra
Gissel
G
García
Ana B
AB
Pérez
Luis
L
Morier
Rayner
R
Rodríguez
Mayling
M
Alvarez
María G
MG
Guzmán
D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003462:Cuba; D003715:Dengue / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000276:immunology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012703:Serotyping
D010835:Phytohemagglutinins