On the role of CD8 T cells in the control of persistent infections.

ABSTRACT: The control of pathogen density during infections is typically assumed to be the result of a combination of resource limitation (loss of target cells that the pathogen can infect), innate immunity, and specific immunity. The contributions of these factors have been considered in acute infections, which are characterized by having a short duration. What controls the pathogen during persistent infections is less clear, and is complicated by two factors. First, specific immune responses become exhausted if they are subject to chronic stimulation. Exhaustion has been best characterized for CD8 T cell responses, and occurs through a combination of cell death and loss of functionality of surviving cells. Second, new nonexhausted T cells can immigrate from the thymus during the infection, and may

SUBMITTER: Stromberg SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3475343 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature