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Intestinal cellular immunity after primary rotavirus infection
M G Bruce1, I C Campbell, L van Pinxteren
1Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Journal of Comparative Pathology
|August 1, 1995
Summary
Neonatal lambs infected with rotavirus showed an early increase in circulating immune cells (CD45R+) before virus clearance. This cellular response preceded antibody production and specific immune cells persisted in lymphoid tissues.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Immunology
- Gastroenterology
- Virology
Background:
- Rotavirus is a significant cause of neonatal diarrhea in livestock.
- Understanding the intestinal immune response is crucial for developing effective vaccines and treatments.
- Gnotobiotic lambs provide a controlled model for studying host-pathogen interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the primary cellular intestinal immune response kinetics to rotavirus infection in neonatal lambs.
- To correlate the cellular immune response with viral shedding and antibody production.
- To identify the specific lymphocyte subpopulations involved in the immune response within different lymphoid tissues.
Main Methods:
- Infection of neonatal gnotobiotic lambs with a bovine rotavirus strain.
- Monitoring of viral shedding in feces.
- Quantification of peripheral blood CD45R+ cells.
- Measurement of serum virus-neutralizing antibodies.
- Analysis of lymphocyte surface antigens in Peyer's patches, mesenteric lymph nodes, and peripheral blood.
Main Results:
- Rotavirus was detected in feces 2-3 days post-infection, with peak shedding around 7-8 days.
- Increased CD45R+ cells in peripheral blood preceded detectable neutralizing antibodies.
- Virus-neutralizing antibodies appeared at 1 week and peaked at 2 weeks post-infection.
- Virus-primed lymphocytes were detected in lymphoid tissues and blood by 1 week post-infection.
- Distinct lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4+ T cells and B cells) predominated in different lymphoid tissues.
Conclusions:
- The study elucidates the temporal dynamics of the cellular and humoral immune response to rotavirus in a neonatal lamb model.
- Early detection of CD45R+ cells indicates a rapid innate or early adaptive immune activation.
- The findings highlight the differential distribution of lymphocyte subsets in various lymphoid tissues during rotavirus infection.
- This research provides insights into the development of protective immunity against rotavirus.