Vibrio cholerae O1 infection induces proinflammatory CD4+ T-cell responses in blood and intestinal mucosa of infected humans

Clin Vaccine Immunol. 2011 Aug;18(8):1371-7. doi: 10.1128/CVI.05088-11. Epub 2011 Jun 22.

Abstract

Vibrio cholerae O1 is a noninvasive enteric pathogen and serves as a model for studies of mucosal immunity. Although symptomatic V. cholerae infection induces durable protection against subsequent disease, vaccination with oral killed whole-cell V. cholerae stimulates less long-lasting protection against cholera. In this study, we demonstrated that cholera induces an early proinflammatory cellular immune response that results in priming of Th1- and Th17-type cytokine responses to ex vivo antigenic stimulation and an increase in the ratio of Th1 to Th2 CD4(+) T-cell responses. Comparable priming of Th1 and Th17 responses, with an increased ratio of Th1 to Th2 CD4(+) T-cell responses, was not observed in subjects who received two doses of the oral cholera vaccine Dukoral (a whole-cell cholera toxin B subunit containing [WC-CTB] vaccine). These findings suggest that natural V. cholerae infection induces an early, proinflammatory cellular immune response, despite the apparent lack of clinical signs of inflammation. The failure of the WC-CTB vaccine to activate equivalent, CD4(+) T-cell responses is a potential explanation for the shorter duration of protection following immunization with this vaccine. Additional studies are needed to determine whether these early T-cell-mediated events predict the subsequent duration of immunologic memory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Blood / immunology*
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Cholera / immunology*
  • Cholera / microbiology
  • Cholera Vaccines / administration & dosage
  • Cholera Vaccines / immunology
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Intestinal Mucosa / immunology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Th1 Cells / immunology
  • Th17 Cells / immunology
  • Th2 Cells / immunology
  • Vibrio cholerae O1 / immunology*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Cholera Vaccines
  • Cytokines