CD4+ T cells provide protection against acute lethal encephalitis caused by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus

摘要

Studying the mechanisms of host survival resulting from viral encephalitis is critical to the development of vaccines. Here we have shown in several independent studies that high-dose treatment with neutralizing antibody prior to intranasal infection with Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus had an antiviral effect in the visceral organs and prolonged survival time of infected mice, even in the absence of alpha beta T cells. Nevertheless, the antibody treatment did not prevent the development of lethal encephalitis. In contrary, the adoptive transfer of primed CD4⁺ T cells is necessary to prevent lethal encephalitis in mice lacking alpha beta T cell receptor.