Open AccessAnamnestic Responses of Mice followingMycobacterium tuberculosisInfection
Author(s) -
Ajith V. Kamath,
Samuel M. Behar
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
infection and immunity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.508
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1070-6313
pISSN - 0019-9567
DOI - 10.1128/iai.73.9.6110-6118.2005
Subject(s) - biology , tuberculosis , mycobacterium tuberculosis , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , virology , mycobacterium infections , mycobacterium , bacteria , medicine , pathology , genetics
The anamnestic response is the property of the immune system that makes vaccine development possible. Although the development of a vaccine againstMycobacterium tuberculosis is an important global priority, there are many gaps in our understanding of how immunological memory develops followingM. tuberculosis infection or after BCG vaccination. In experiments designed to compare the anamnestic response of susceptible and resistant mouse strains, major histocompatibility complex-matched memory-immune C3.SW-H2b /SnJ and C57BL/6 mice both demonstrated better control of bacterial replication following reinfection withM. tuberculosis than control mice. Nevertheless, this memory response did not appear to have any long-term protective effect for either mouse strain. A greater understanding of the immunological factors that govern the maintenance of immunological memory following exposure toM. tuberculosis will be required to develop an effective vaccine.