Articles of Significant Interest In This Issue

Abstract

Lung- and airway-resident memory CD8 T cells (TRMs) provide frontline defense against respiratory viral infections. Maintenance of a critical number of TRMs in the respiratory tract is vital for heterosubtypic immunity to influenza A virus. Lee et al. (e00530-21) demonstrate that loss of pulmonary monocytes enhances the development of lung TRMs following mucosal vaccination without compromising T-cell-dependent protective immunity to influenza. These findings have implications for the development of mucosal vaccine approaches that limit monocyte infiltration into the lung and promote robust development of T-cell immunity to respiratory viral pathogens, including influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2.