title: Persistence of mucosal T-cell responses to herpes simplex virus type 2 in the female genital tract.
abstract: Relatively little is known about the human T-cell response to herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in the female genital tract, a major site of heterosexual HSV-2 acquisition, transmission, and reactivation. In order to understand the role of local mucosal immunity in HSV-2 infection, T-cell lines were expanded from serial cervical cytobrush samples from 30 HSV-2-infected women and examined for reactivity to HSV-2. Approximately 3% of the CD3+ T cells isolated from the cervix were HSV-2 specific and of these, a median of 91.3% were CD4+, whereas a median of 3.9% were CD8+. HSV-2-specific CD4+ T cells expanded from the cervix were not only more frequent than CD8+ T cells but also exhibited greater breadth in terms of antigenic reactivity. T cells directed at the same HSV-2 protein were often detected in serial cervical cytobrush samples and in blood. Thus, broad and persistent mucosal T-cell responses to HSV-2 were detected in the female genital tract of HSV-2+ women suggesting that these cells are resident at the site of HSV-2 infection. Understanding the role of these T cells at this biologically relevant site will be central to the elucidation of adaptive immune mechanisms involved in controlling HSV-2 disease.
authors.affiliation: 1] Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA [2] Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Posavad
authors.affiliation: 1] Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA [2] Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: 1] Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA [2] Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA [3] Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA [4] Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wald
authors.affiliation: 1] Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA [2] Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA [3] Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corey
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000276:immunology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral