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Loss of Virus-Specific Memory T. cells in Coxsackievirus B3 and B4 Infected Mice
Citation:
LI, L. AND A. P. DUFOUR. Loss of Virus-Specific Memory T. cells in Coxsackievirus B3 and B4 Infected Mice. Presented at FOCIS Meeting, Boston, MA, June 05 - 09, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
1. Determine effects of storage by freezing of NEEAR study samples on QPCR measurements of enterococci. 2. Identify, from an expanded pool of candidates, the general fecal indicator microorganism(s) (i.e. different taxonomic or phylogenetically-related groups from all animal sources) whose densities in NEEAR study water samples, as measured by QPCR analysis, best correlate with illness rates monitored in the NEEAR study. 3. Determine whether illnesses rates in the NEEAR studies are better correlated with QPCR measurements of fecal indicator organisms from human as opposed to general sources (subject to the availability or development of suitable QPCR assays for human fecal indicators).
Description:
There are two major types of enteroviruses: polioviruses and non-polio enteroviruses. While vaccines have effectively eliminated poliovirus infections, no vaccine is currently available for the non-polio enteroviruses. Generation of long-term pathogen specific memory cells is critical for the development of a good vaccine. To investigate whether long-term memory T cells are produced in response to infection by non-polio enteroviruses, coxsackieviruses B3 (CVB3) and coxsackieviruse B4 (CVB4) were intraperitoneally inoculated into adult BABL/c mice. Virus-specific memory T cells were assayed for proliferation and release interferon gamma (IFN-γ) under ex vivo stimulation with the viral pathogens. The level of IFN-γ was measured by antibody-capture chemiluminescent ELISA. Four days after stimulation, there were no detectable changes in the levels of IFN-γ from mice 17-19 months post-exposure to CVB3 and CVB4 compared with negative control mice inoculated only with sterilized PBS buffer. In contrast, the levels of IFN-γ were markedly increased after stimulation with specific viral pathogens in mice 2½ months post-infection with CVB3 and CVB4. These results suggest that non-polio enteroviruses might generate only short-lived virus-specific memory T cells. This would imply that vaccines for non-polio enterviruses might not provide long term protection against these viruses.