The Cellular Immune Response Against Yersinia enterocolitica in Different Inbred Strains of Mice: Evidence for an Important Role of T Lymphocytes

Abstract

Resistance of mice against infection with Yersinia enterocolitica has been shown to be related neither to the Ity locus coding for resistance against infection with Salmonella typhimurium and other pathogens nor to the H-2 locus. From other mouse infection models, e.g., murine leishmaniasis, there is evidence that a different T cell-dependent regulation of the host immune response in various inbred strains of mice determines the susceptibility to the infectious agent. However, until recently, little was known about the cellular immune response against Y. enterocolitica. Thus, in a first approach we used the highly virulent Y. enterocolitica strain WA of serotype O:8 and different inbred strains of mice (C57 BL/6, Balb/c and athymic T cell-deficient C57 BL/6 nude mice) to investigate the cell-mediated immunity against parenteral infection. Comparison of the median lethal dose and of the net-bacterial growth in the spleens of infected mice indicated that Balb/c mice could be considered as Yersinia-susceptible whereas C57 BL/6 mice were relatively resistant. However, in contrast to normal C57 BL/6, athymic T cell-deficient C57 BL/6 nude mice have proved to be highly susceptible to Yersinia infection suggesting that T cells are required for the elimination of the pathogen. This conclusion was supported by histomorphological and immunohistological results indicating that T lymphocytes were present in Yersinia-induced tissue lesions. Moreover, the adoptive transfer of Yersinia-specific T cell lines and clones into naive animals mediated significant protection against the pathogen in both Yersinia-resistant C57 BL/6 and in Yersinia-susceptible Balb/c mice. These findings emphasize an important role of T lymphocytes in the host response against Y. enterocolitica infection.