Phenotype of the anti-Rickettsia CD8(+) T cell response suggests cellular correlates of protection for the assessment of novel antigens.

ABSTRACT: The obligately intracellular bacteria Rickettsia infect endothelial cells and cause systemic febrile diseases that are potentially lethal. No vaccines are currently available and current knowledge of the effective immune response is limited. Natural and experimental rickettsial infections provide strong and cross-protective cellular immunity if the infected individual survives the acute infection. Although resistance to rickettsial infections is attributed to the induction of antigen-specific T cells, particularly CD8(+) T cells, the identification and validation of correlates of protective cellular immunity against rickettsial infections, an important step toward vaccine validation, remains a gap in this field. Here, we show that after a primary challenge with Rickettsia typhi in the C3H

SUBMITTER: Caro-Gomez E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4138832 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature