T-LYMPHOCYTES ARE REQUIRED FOR PROTECTION OF THE VAGINAL MUCOSAE AND SENSORY GANGLIA OF IMMUNE MICE AGAINST REINFECTION WITH HERPES-SIMPLEXVIRUS TYPE-2

Intravaginal inoculation of mice with an attenuated strain of herpes s implex virus type 2 (HSV-2) resulted in vigorous HSV-specific immune r esponses that protected against subsequent challenge with fully virule nt HSV-2 strains. Even in the presence of high titers of HSV-specific Ab, T cell-dependent mechanisms were required for protection of the va ginal mucosae of HSV-immune mice and could be detected by 24 h after i ntravaginal reinoculation. Depletion of specific T cell subsets from H SV-immune mice before HSV-2 reinoculation demonstrated that CD4(+) T c ells were primarily responsible for this protection, Similarly, optima l protection of the sensory ganglia against reinfection with HSV-2 was dependent on the presence of T cells. Infectious HSV-2 was not detect ed in the sensory ganglia or spinal cord of HSV-immune mice depleted o f only CD4(+) or CD8(+) T cells, suggesting that the T cell-mediated p rotection could be provided by either subset, Similarly, neutralizatio n of IFN-gamma during challenge of HSV-immune mice resulted in diminis hed protection of the vaginal mucosa, but not of the sensory ganglia, These results suggest that the ability to induce vigorous HSV-specific T cell responses is an important consideration in the design of vacci nes to protect both the vaginal mucosa and sensory ganglia against HSV -2.