Demonstration of bovine CD8(+) T-cell responses to foot and mouth disease virus

The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of cellular immunit y in foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, in particular to determine whether a CD8(+) T-cell response could be detected, as these cells may play a role i n both immunity and virus persistence. As attempts to characterize classica l cytotoxic T cells had yielded non-reproducible results, largely due to hi gh backgrounds in control cultures, a proliferation assay was developed tha t was demonstrated to detect antigen-specific, MHC class I-restricted bovin e CD8(+) cells responding to foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Prolifera tive CD8(+) T-cell responses were detected consistently from 10 to 14 days following infection with FMDV and typically lasted 3-4 weeks. The role of C D8(+) T cells in control of the disease, in particular their relevance for the establishment of persistence, may now be investigated.