Development of Vims-Specific$CD4^{+}$T Cells on Reexposure to Varicella-Zoster Virus

Immunity to childhood diseases is maintained for decades by mechanisms that, at present, are still unclear. We longitudinally studied immune responses in 16 adults exposed to children experiencing varicella (chicken pox). None of the individuals showed clinical signs of infection, and varicella-zost...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of infectious diseases 2004-07, Vol.190 (1), p.72-82
Main Authors: Vossen, Mireille T. M., Gent, Mi-Ran, Weel, Jan F. L., de Jong, Menno D., van Lier, Rene A. W., Kuijpers, Taco W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antigens
Blood
Chickenpox
Cytokines
Exanthema
Human herpesvirus 3
Infections
Memory
T lymphocytes
Viruses
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Summary:Immunity to childhood diseases is maintained for decades by mechanisms that, at present, are still unclear. We longitudinally studied immune responses in 16 adults exposed to children experiencing varicella (chicken pox). None of the individuals showed clinical signs of infection, and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) DNA could not be detected in peripheral blood or cultured from nasopharyngeal swabs. Exposure to VZV, however, induced expansion of antigen-specific$CD4^{+}$T cells in peripheral blood, with concomitant changes in cytotoxic$CD8^{+}$T cells and natural killer cells. VZV-specific memory$CD4^{+}$T cells were uniformly and enriched for$CD27^{-}$cells. The virus-specific cells produced interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-2. These memory responses to VZV were compared with the primary immune responses of children experiencing varicella. VZV-specific memory$CD4^{+}$T cell responses largely resemble the primary immune response to VZV.
ISSN:0022-1899