Specificity of the blastogenic response of human mononuclear cells to herpesvirus antigens

Peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells from donors with a history of prior infection with herpes simplex virus, varicella-zoster virus, and/or cytomegalovirus were cultured for 2 to 8 days with glycine-extracted antigens prepared from these viruses and from infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus. The proliferative response of PBM cells from all donors was specific during the first 6 days in culture. During this period the cellular immune responses of the seronegative donors were clearly different from those of the seropositive donors. The responses of PBM cells in culture with any of the human herpesvirus antigens studied was not influenced by prior infection of the donor with one or more other human herpesviruses. In contrast, although no donors had antibody to infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus, the PBM cells from some of them had a proliferative response to this bovine herpesvirus, which increased with time. This nonspecific response appears to be a host-associated function which may be related to recognition of a common herpesvirus antigen.