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Latent CMV Infection Is Associated With Lower Influenza Virus-Specific Memory T-Cell Frequencies, but Not With an Impaired T-Cell Response to Acute Influenza Virus Infection
Front Immunol. 2021 May 5;12:663664. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.663664.
Sara P H van den Berg 1 2, Josien Lanfermeijer 1 2, Ronald H J Jacobi 1, Marion Hendriks 1, Martijn Vos 1, Roos van Schuijlenburg 1, Nening M Nanlohy 1, José A M Borghans 2, Josine van Beek 1, Debbie van Baarle 1 2, Jelle de Wit 1
Abstract:
...CMV is expected to impact especially older adults, who are already at higher risk of severe disease and hospitalization upon infections such as influenza virus (IAV) infection. Here, we investigated the impact of CMV infection on IAV-specific CD8+ T-cell frequencies in healthy individuals (n=96) and the response to IAV infection in older adults (n=72). IAV-specific memory T-cell frequencies were lower in healthy CMV+ older individuals compared to healthy CMV- older individuals. Upon acute IAV infection, CMV serostatus or CMV-specific antibody levels were not negatively associated with IAV-specific T-cell frequencies, function, phenotype or T-cell receptor repertoire diversity. This suggests that specific T-cell responses upon acute IAV infection are not negatively affected by CMV. In addition, we found neither an association between CMV infection and inflammatory cytokine levels in serum during acute IAV infection nor between cytokine levels and the height of the IAV-specific T-cell response upon infection. Finally, CMV infection was not associated with increased severity of influenza-related symptoms. In fact, CMV infection was even associated with increased IAV-specific T-cell responses early upon acute IAV infection. In conclusion, although associated with lower frequencies of memory IAV-specific T cells in healthy individuals, CMV infection does not seem to hamper the induction of a proper T-cell response during acute IAV infection in older adults.
PMID: 34025665
Free Full-Text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8131658/