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Insights into human CD8 + T‐cell memory using the yellow fever and smallpox vaccines
Author(s) -
Ahmed Rafi,
Akondy Rama S
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
immunology and cell biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0818-9641
DOI - 10.1038/icb.2010.155
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , virology , yellow fever , yellow fever vaccine , smallpox , virus , cd8 , immune system , smallpox vaccine , biology , t cell , cytotoxic t cell , vaccination , immunology , vaccinia , gene , paleontology , biochemistry , in vitro , recombinant dna
Live virus vaccines provide a unique opportunity to study human CD8 + T‐cell memory in the context of a controlled, primary acute viral infection. Yellow fever virus‐17D and Dryvax are two such live‐virus vaccines that are highly efficacious, used worldwide and provide long‐term immunity against yellow fever and smallpox respectively. In this review, we describe the properties of virus‐specific memory CD8 + T cells generated in smallpox and yellow fever vaccinees. We address fundamental questions regarding magnitude, functional quality and longevity of the CD8 + T‐cell response, which are otherwise challenging to address in humans. These findings provide insights into the attributes of the human immune system as well as provide a benchmark for the optimal quality of a CD8 + T‐cell response that can be used to evaluate novel candidate vaccines.