Expansion of human gammadelta T cells after in vitro stimulation with Campylobacter jejuni

Campylobacter jejuni is currently the prime cause of food-borne bacterial gastro-enteritis. An important complication of C. jejuni enteritis is Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an immune-mediated disorder of peripheral nerve tissue. Because little is known about T cell reactivity to C. jejuni, we have analyzed the in vitro immune response of normal individuals against five isolates of C. jejuni representing five different serotypes. We found a preferential expansion of peripheral blood gammadelta T cells after exposure to crude sonicates of all five C. jejuni serotypes. Expansion of gammadelta T cells was dependent on the presence of CD4+/alphabeta+ T cells in the cultures or addition of exogenous IL-2 or IL-15. C. jejuni stimulation was mediated via the TCR and appeared to be induced by a non-proteinaceous bacterial antigen, most likely of phosphoantigenic origin.