Abstract
We characterized the human CD8+ T cell response against influenza A viruses by a flow cytometry-based assay. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were incubated with inactivated influenza virus preparation, for 17 h, and were stained for intracellular interferon-γ. Major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted memory CD8+ T cells specific for influenza antigens were detected in PBMCs from all 19 adult donors, at an average frequency of 0.39%. On average, 83% of influenza virus-specific CD8+ T cells expressed the differentiation-associated marker CD27, a percentage that is significantly higher than that of CD8+ T cells specific for pp65 of human cytomegalovirus (53%). These observations indicate that class I-restricted immunity against influenza A viruses is characterized by the persistence, after clearance of infection, of circulating antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. The different patterns of CD27 expression in influenza virus- and cytomegalovirus-specific CD8+ T cells suggest that influenza virus-specific memory and effector CD8+ T cells can be differentiated by phenotypic analysis.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1075-1084 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Infectious Diseases |
Volume | 187 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1 2003 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Immunology