Abstract
BackgroundMucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells found in abundance in the intestinal mucosa, and are thought to play a role in bridging the innate-adaptive interface.MethodsWe measured MAIT cell frequencies and antibody responses in blood from patients presenting with culture-confirmed severe cholera to a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh at days 2, 7, 30, and 90 of illness.ResultsWe found that MAIT (CD3+CD4−CD161hiVα7.2+) cells were maximally activated at day 7 after onset of cholera. In adult patients, MAIT frequencies did not change over time, whereas in child patients, MAITs were significantly decreased at day 7, and this decrease persisted to day 90. Fold changes in MAIT frequency correlated with increases in LPS IgA and IgG, but not LPS IgM nor antibody responses to cholera toxin B subunit.ConclusionsIn the acute phase of cholera, MAIT cells are activated, depleted from the periphery, and as part of the innate response against V. cholerae infection, are possibly involved in mechanisms underlying class switching of antibody responses to T cell-independent antigens.
Highlights
Cholera is an acutely dehydrating diarrheal disease caused predominantly by Vibrio cholerae O1 infection [1]
In this study of cholera patients in Dhaka, Bangladesh, we found that blood Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells are activated during cholera, and that in children, blood MAIT cells are decreased in number during the course of disease
We found that the MAIT cell response correlates with the antibody response to V. cholerae O1 lipopolysaccharide, which in the past has been shown to be an important determinant of protection
Summary
Cholera is an acutely dehydrating diarrheal disease caused predominantly by Vibrio cholerae O1 infection [1]. It is endemic in 50 countries, causing up to 3 million cases and 100,000 deaths annually [2]. In studies of household contacts of cholera patients, we have shown that LPSspecific antibody and memory B cell responses to LPS are associated with protection from disease [4,5]. In patients hospitalized with acute severe cholera, that V. cholerae O1 infection induces significant increases in circulating antigen-specific antibody, antibody secreting cell, and memory B. Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells found in abundance in the intestinal mucosa, and are thought to play a role in bridging the innate-adaptive interface
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