Cytomegalovirus infection induces T-cell differentiation without impairing antigen-specific responses in Gambian infants.

Journal article

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection induces profound differentiation of T cells, and is associated with impaired responses to other immune challenges. We therefore considered whether CMV infection and the consequent T-cell differentiation in Gambian infants was associated with impaired specific responses to measles vaccination or polyclonal responses to the superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). While the concentration of undifferentiated (CD27(+) CD28(+) CCR7(+)) T-cells in peripheral blood was unaffected by CMV, there was a large increase in differentiated (CD28(-) CD57(+)) CD8 T-cells and a smaller increase in differentiated CD4 cells. One week post-vaccination, the CD4 cell interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) response to measles was lower among CMV-infected infants, but there were no other differences between the cytokine responses, or between the cytokine or proliferative responses 4 months post-vaccination. However, the CD8 T cells of CMV-infected infants proliferated more in response to SEB and the antibody response to measles correlated with the IFN-gamma response to CMV, indicating that CMV infection actually enhances some immune responses in infancy.

Authors: Miles, D; Sanneh, M; Holder, B; Crozier, S; Nyamweya, S

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Immunology
• Volume: 124
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 388-400
• Publication date: 2008-07-01
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2007.02787.x
• EISSN: 1365-2567
• ISSN: 0019-2805
• Language: English
• Keywords: Female; Superantigens; Cytomegalovirus Infections; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Infant; Enterotoxins; Cells, Cultured; Gambia; Male; Cell Proliferation; Interferon-gamma; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; T-Lymphocyte Subsets; Antibodies, Viral; Immunity, Cellular; Humans; Immunologic Memory; Measles virus; Measles Vaccine; Cell Differentiation