title: Bacillus Calmette Guerin vaccination of human newborns induces a specific, functional CD8+ T cell response.
abstract: Mounting evidence points to CD8+ T cells playing an important role in protective immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The only available vaccine against tuberculosis, bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG), has traditionally been viewed not to induce these cells optimally. In this study, we show that vaccination of human newborns with BCG does indeed induce a specific CD8+ T cell response. These cells degranulated or secreted IFN-gamma, but not both, when infant blood was incubated with BCG. This stimulation also resulted in proliferation and up-regulation of cytotoxic molecules. Overall, the specific CD8+ T cell response was quantitatively smaller than the BCG-induced CD4+ T cell response. Incubation of whole blood with M. tuberculosis also caused CD8+ T cell IFN-gamma expression. We conclude that BCG induces a robust CD8+ T cell response, which may contribute to vaccination-induced protection against tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Research Institute, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
authors.forename: Rose Ann
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Nazma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mansoor
authors.forename: Ryhor
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harbacheuski
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soler
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Davids
authors.forename: Andreia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hawkridge
authors.forename: Gregory D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Hussey
authors.forename: Holden
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maecker
authors.forename: Gilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Willem A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Hanekom
mesh_terms: D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015550:Cell Degranulation; D003429:Cross Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D001500:BCG Vaccine; D007371:Interferon-gamma