[Cellular immunity in poxvirus infections. Demonstration, significance and cellular cross reactivity with brain...

Its proof, significance, and the cellular cross reactivity to basic encephalitogenic protein of vaccinia-stimulated T-cells. Vaccination against smallpox induces both, a cellular allergy and immunity, and the production of humoral antibodies. Of greater importance for the defense of the organism against infections by orthopox viruses is the cellular immunity. New methods for the proof of cellular immunity and an in vitro-technique for its examination by challange with variola vera virus are described. In close connection with induction of cellular allergy by vaccination an immunological cell-bound reactivity of isolated lymphocytes develops against the basic encephalitogenic protein. In this antigen-stimulated resp.-irritated stage isolated lymphocytes show an enhanced rate of chromosomal aberrations and a high rate of spontaneous transformations. Lymphocytes of patients with Multiple Sclerosis demonstrate a high stimulation rate (3H- resp. 14C-Thymidine-inlay) after challenge with antigen of vaccinia virus. The T cell-mediated cross reactivity between vaccinia and myelin extracts is discussed as an hypothetic pathogenic factor of CNS complications after primary smallpox vaccination.