Acanthamoeba-specific human T-cell clones isolated from healthy individuals

T-cell responses to pathogenic free-living amoebae, Acanthamoeba sp., were analyzed in healthy Japanese individuals. Of 20 healthy subjects, 10 (50%) showed significant proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to the soluble amoebic antigens in vitro. The antigens used were not mitogenic, and no evidence of amoebic superantigens was available. We established human T-cell clones reactive to Acanthamoeba, all of which were CD3- and CD4-positive, CD8-negative, and TCR-alpha beta-positive. We isolated two strains of Acanthamoeba from two patients, one from a patient with meningoencephalitis (CSF strain) and the other from a patient with keratitis (K strain). Of 13 clones, 11 were reactive to the K-strain as well as to the CSF-strain antigen under human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR restriction, whereas the other two were specific for the K-strain antigen. All but one clone tested showed TH1-equivalent functions because these cells produced interferon (IFN)-gamma in response to the amoebic antigen but produced no detectable level of interleukin 4 (IL-4). These results suggest that immunocompetent hosts might have acquired protective immunity mediated by Acanthamoeba-specific T-cells during natural sensitization.