Immunization with whole cell but not acellular pertussis vaccines primes CD4 TRM cells that sustain protective immunity against nasal colonization with Bordetella pertussis

• Published in: Emerging microbes & infections 2019-01, Vol.8 (1), p.169-185
• Main Authors: Wilk, Mieszko M., Borkner, Lisa, Misiak, Alicja, Curham, Lucy, Allen, Aideen C., Mills, Kingston H. G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bordetella pertussis; Cell adhesion & migration; Infections; pertussis vaccine; Th1 and Th17 cells; tissue-resident memory T cell; Vaccines; Whooping cough
• ISSN: 2222-1751
• DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2018.1564630

Protective immunity wanes rapidly after immunization of children with acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines and these vaccines do not prevent nasal colonization or transmission of Bordetella pertussis in baboons. In this study, we examined the role of tissue-resident memory T (T RM ) cells in persistent protective immunity induced by infection or immunization with aP and whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccines in mice. Immunization of mice with a wP vaccine protected against lung and nasal colonization, whereas an aP vaccine failed to protect in the nose. IL-17 and IFN-γ-secreting CD69 + CD4 + T RM cells were expanded in the lung and nasal tissue after B. pertussis challenge of mice immunized with wP, but not aP vaccines. However, previous infection induced the most persistent protection against nasal colonization and this correlated with potent induction of nasal tissue T RM cells, especially IL-17-secreting T RM cells. Blocking T cell migration to respiratory tissue during immunization with a wP vaccine impaired bacterial clearance, whereas transfer of T RM cells from convalescent or wP-immunized mice conferred protection to naïve mice. Our findings reveal that previous infection or wP vaccination are significantly more effective than aP vaccination in conferring persistent protective immunity against B. pertussis and that this is mediated by respiratory T RM cells.