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A striking difference in cell‐mediated immune response to an inactivated vaccine against West Nile virus between yearling and adult horses
Author(s) -
Zhang Yuwen W,
Houseright Ruth A,
Davis Elizabeth G
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.859.16
Subject(s) - immune system , immunity , vaccination , immunology , biology , virology , inactivated vaccine , virus , cellular immunity , medicine
West Nile virus (WNV) infection may result in meningitis and/or encephalitis in humans and horses, especially aged and immunosuppressed individuals. Vaccine recommendations for horses involve an initial series followed by boosters 1–2 times annually, depending on the product used. Neonatal animals and humans are defective in generating effective T helper (Th) type 1 immunity against intracellular infections and are susceptible to atopic diseases. Since foals have been found to be interferon gamma (IFN‐γ)‐deficient we surmised that young horses may have different immune responses to WNV vaccination compared to adults. We investigated cell‐mediated immune responses to an inactivated WNV vaccine in yearling and adult horses by examining the ex vivo production of IFN‐γ and interleukin (IL)‐4 by T lymphocyte subsets. In yearling horses, cellular immunity is characterized by both Th1 and Th2 immune responses with a Th1‐bias. In adult horses, cell‐mediated immunity is represented by a pronounced Th1 response. Such a striking difference in the cellular immune response to WNV vaccination between yearling and adult horses may result from defective IL‐12 production by professional antigen‐presenting cells since defective IL‐12 production is common in neonatal mice and yearling children.