INTESTINAL CELLULAR-IMMUNITY AFTER PRIMARY ROTAVIRUS INFECTION

Infection of neonatal gnotobiotic lambs with a bovine strain of rotavi rus was used to characterize the kinetics of the primary cellular inte stinal immune response to this agent. At 2-3 days after infection viru s was first detected in the faeces and increased numbers of CD45R(+) c ells were observed in peripheral blood. These cells persisted in signi ficantly increased numbers in the circulation until 7-8 days after inf ection. At this time, virus was no longer detectable in the faeces. Th e increase in CDd45R(+) cells preceded the appearance of virus-neutral izing antibodies in the serum at 1 week after infection. Maximal antib ody titres were reached 2 weeks after infection. Virus-primed cells we re first observed 1 week after infection in the jejunal and ileal Peye r's patches, mesenteric lymph nodes and peripheral blood, and persiste d in the mesenteric lymph nodes and jejunal Peyer's patches for a furt her 4 weeks. Analysis of lymphocyte surface antigens indicated that di fferent sub-populations of lymphocytes were responding in the various lymphoid tissues; a majority of CD4(+) cells was observed in the mesen teric lymph nodes, whereas B cells predominated in the ileal Peyer's p atches. (C) 1995 Academic Press Limited