Immune-specific production of gamma interferon in human lymphocyte cultures in response to mumps virus

The production of interferon (IFN) was investigated in human peripheral lymphocyte cultures stimulated by mumps virus. IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma were produced in lymphocyte cultures from immune donors. However, no IFN-gamma was produced in lymphocyte cultures from nonimmune donors. IFN-alpha was produced by B lymphocytes, and IFN-gamma was produced by T lymphocytes. An increase in the production of IFN-gamma resulted from the mixture of autologous macrophages in T-lymphocyte cultures. The production of IFN-gamma by T lymphocytes was found to depend on prior, possibly cellular, immunity.