1. Efficient vagina-to-lower respiratory tract immune trafficking in a murine model of influenza A virus infection.
- Author
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Garulli B, Meola M, Stillitano MG, Kawaoka Y, and Castrucci MR
- Subjects
- Administration, Intranasal, Administration, Intravaginal, Animals, Antibodies, Viral blood, Female, Immunity, Mucosal, Immunologic Memory, Influenza Vaccines administration & dosage, Mice, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Orthomyxoviridae Infections blood, CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes immunology, Immunization, Influenza A virus immunology, Influenza Vaccines immunology, Orthomyxoviridae Infections immunology, Orthomyxoviridae Infections prevention & control, Respiratory System immunology
- Abstract
Effective vaccination strategies for infectious diseases take into account the induction, long-term maintenance and recall of memory T-cell populations. To understand the immunological cross-talk within the mucosal compartments, we compared intranasal to vaginal immunization and demonstrated that vaginal infection of BALB/c mice with influenza A virus provides protective mucosal immunity against both homosubtypic and heterosubtypic virus challenge in the respiratory tract. We found that, prior to the viral challenge, in vaginally primed mice, antigen-specific CD8+ T cells were not detected in the lung airways and levels of serum antibodies were lower than those observed in intranasally immunized mice. However, following pulmonary challenge, NP147-specific CD8+ T cells were recruited and amplified in vaginally primed mice to the same extent as those in intranasally primed mice. Thus, the long-term memory immune response elicited by vaginal immunization with influenza virus is efficiently recalled and offers reasonable protection against infection in the respiratory tract.
- Published
- 2007
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