Phenotype and kinetics of the endogenous pulmonary CD4 T cell response to a primary influenza: A virus infection

Abstract

Background: Viral and bacterial pneumonias are a leading killer of children and adults worldwide. Influenza A virus (IAV) is one of the most common causes of viral pneumonias, infecting up to 20% of the population each year. Objectives: To provides insight into the specialized subsets present in the influenza A virus-specific CD4 T cell response in the lungs and demonstrates that this response is regulated by pulmonary antigen presenting cells. Methods: Female BALB/c and C57Bl/6 mice at 8-12 weeks of age for all experiments were used. Age- and weight-matched groups of female C57Bl/6 mice were lightly anesthetized by isoflurane inhalation and infected intra nasally. Results: A significant increase in the frequency of CD4 T cells producing IFNγ following incubation with peptide-pulsed splenic stimulator DC, compared with CD4 T cells incubated with non-peptide-pulsed splenic stimulator DC.IAV-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells specific for highly conserved epitopes within the internal proteins of IAV can provide hetero subtypic protection. Conclusion: Authors found that IAV and GAS are individually important human pathogens that cause a significant amount of global disease and death. Understanding the immune response to these pathogens is the key to development of better treatments and vaccinations.