Circulating antibody-secreting cells during acute respiratory syncytial virus infection in adults.
BACKGROUND
The specificity and duration of circulating human antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) after vaccination have been well described, but characteristics of ASCs during acute respiratory infections have not been well studied.


METHODS
Circulating antigen-specific ASCs were measured at 3 time points (enrollment, days 10-16, and days 22-45) in 40 adults during respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.


RESULTS
Of the 40 patients, 36 (90%) had detectable circulating RSV F protein-specific ASCs within 11 days after illness onset. The magnitude of the RSV-specific ASCs was 1-1500 spots per 10⁶ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (mean frequency [± standard deviation], 200 ± 256 spots per 10⁶ peripheral blood mononuclear cells). ASCs were detected on day 8-16 and day 22-45 after symptom onset in 78% and 48% of subjects, respectively. Subjects shedding virus for >10 days were more likely to have a positive response to ASC enzyme-linked immunospot assay at the late time point than those shedding for ≤10 days (8 of 12 subjects vs 2 of 11 subjects; P = .02).


CONCLUSIONS
The kinetics of ASC circulation during acute mucosal viral infections was more prolonged than that we had observed after a single intramuscular injection with inactivated influenza vaccine in a study reported elsewhere. The association between the duration of virus shedding and the persistence of detectable viral-specific ASCs suggests that ongoing antigen persistence induces a prolonged temporal pattern of ASC generation.
Lee
F Eun-Hyung
FE
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Rochester and Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, New York, USA. eunhyung_lee@urmc.rochester.edu
Falsey
Ann R
AR
Halliley
Jessica L
JL
Sanz
Iñaki
I
Walsh
Edward E
EE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D058501:Enzyme-Linked Immunospot Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009518:New York; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral