CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are not the main driver of Lassa fever pathogenesis in macaques.

ABSTRACT: Empirical data from survivors of Lassa fever and experimental disease modeling efforts, particularly those using mouse models, are at odds with respect to T cell-mediated pathogenesis. In mice, T cells have been shown to be imperative in disease progression and lethality, whereas in humans, an early and robust T cell response has been associated with survival. Here, we assessed the role of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells on disease progression and severity of Lassa virus infection in a nonhuman primate model. Using an antibody-mediated T cell depletion strategy prior to and after inoculation, we were able to examine Lassa virus infection in the absence of specific T cell responses. In animals depleted for either CD4+ or CD8+ T cells, Lassa virus infection remained uniformly lethal, with only a sligh

SUBMITTER: Prevost J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12643512 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature