Bordetella pertussis infection in 2-month-old infants promotes type 1 T cell responses.
Neonatal immaturity of the immune system is currently believed to generally limit the induction of immune responses to vaccine Ags and to skew them toward type 2 responses. We demonstrated here that Bordetella pertussis infection in very young infants (median, 2 mo old) as well as the first administration of whole-cell pertussis vaccine induces B. pertussis Ag-specific IFN-gamma secretion by the PBMC of these infants. IFN-gamma was secreted by both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes, and the levels of Ag-induced IFN-gamma secretion did not correlate with the age of the infants. Appearance of the specific Th-1 cell-mediated immunity was accompanied by a general shift of the cytokine secretion profile of these infants toward a stronger Th1 profile, as evidenced by the response to a polyclonal stimulation. We conclude that the immune system of 2-mo-old infants is developmentally mature enough to develop Th1 responses in vivo upon infection by B. pertussis or vaccination with whole-cell pertussis vaccines.
Mascart
Françoise
F
Laboratory of Immunology, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium. fmascart@ulc.ac.be
Verscheure
Virginie
V
Malfroot
Anne
A
Hainaut
Marc
M
Piérard
Denis
D
Temerman
Stéphane
S
Peltier
Alexandra
A
Debrie
Anne-Sophie
AS
Levy
Jack
J
Del Giudice
Giuseppe
G
Locht
Camille
C
D000208:Acute Disease; D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000494:pharmacology; D000328:Adult; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000494:pharmacology; D001886:Bordetella pertussis / Q000276:immunology*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007223:Infant; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D037342:Pertussis Toxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella / Q000494:pharmacology; D014917:Whooping Cough / Q000276:immunology
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D016207:Cytokines; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D010567:Pertussis Vaccine; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D010566:Virulence Factors, Bordetella; C065273:filamentous hemagglutinin adhesin, Bordetella pertussis; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D037342:Pertussis Toxin