title: CD4 T-cell-independent antibody response reduces enterovirus 71 lethality in mice by decreasing tissue viral loads.
abstract: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) has induced fatal encephalitis in hundreds of thousands of infants and young children in the Asia-Pacific region since the past decade. Lymphocyte and antibody responses have been suspected to aggravate EV71-induced neurological symptoms, so anti-inflammatory agents have been used to treat patients with neurological symptoms. In the present study, we found that mice deficient in CD4(+) T cells were resistant to EV71 infection as wild-type mice, whereas mice deficient in B cells were highly susceptible to viral infection. Compensation of CD4 T-cell function by other immune cells was not likely, because wild-type mice depleted of CD4(+) T cells were also resistant to viral infection. Infected CD4 T-cell-deficient mice produced virus-specific neutralizing antibodies, IgM and IgG. Moreover, adoptive transfer of the virus-specific antibody produced by infected CD4 T-cell-deficient mice protected B-cell-deficient mice from infection by reducing tissue viral loads. Collectively, our results show that the CD4 T-cell-independent antibody response promotes the survival of EV71-infected mice and suggest great potential for the use of vaccines and neutralizing antibodies to reduce fatal symptoms in patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Li-Chiu
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chia-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Pin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Ih-Jen
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Tung-Miao
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Shun-Hua
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D029821:Enterovirus A, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M