Dysfunctional Senescent Herpes Simplex Virus-Specific CD57⁺CD8⁺ T Cells Are Associated with Symptomatic Recurrent Ocular Herpes in Humans.

ABSTRACT: Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-specific CD8⁺ T cells protect mice from herpes infection and disease. However, the phenotype and function of HSV-specific CD8⁺ T cells that play a key role in the "natural" protection seen in HSV-1-seropositive healthy asymptomatic (ASYMP) patients (who have never had clinical herpes disease) remain to be determined. We previously reported that symptomatic (SYMP) patients (who have frequent bouts of recurrent ocular herpes disease) had more undifferentiated and dysfunctional HSV-specific CD8⁺ T cells. In contrast, healthy ASYMP individuals maintained a significantly higher proportion of differentiated polyfunctional CD8⁺ T cells. Here, we report that HSV-specific CD8⁺ T cells from 10 SYMP patients, but not HS

SUBMITTER: Chentoufi AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12115701 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature