Research has shown yet another component in our body's immune system that could prove vital in controlling Leishmaniasis. This time, our body's memory T cells are the main players in controlling this terrible condition. So far, it is understood that after a VIRAL infection, memory T cells are formed, which will result in a quicker and more effective immune response during a reinfection by the virus. A new study has shown that the same mechanism also applies after a PARASITIC infection, opening new doors in research for ways to combat and control Leishmaniasis, amongst other diseases. There are 2 kinds of T cells, CD4 and CD8 T cells. CD4 T cells assist in the immune response by activating other immune cells, while CD8 T cells are able to kill pathogens directly. Following an infection, a population of T cells that survive become memory T cells, which circulate around the body. However, it is suspected that these circulating memory T cells are not the only way the body protects against immunity... After transferring CD4 T cells from a mouse that has recovered from Leishmaniasis to another mouse who has never contracted the disease, it was observed that the latter only received PARTIAL protection, which led researchers to suspect another element was missing from the equation. By observing more mice who had recovered from Leishmaniasis, researchers discovered parasite-specific T cells in the skin, not only from the site of infection, but other sites as well. Further studies showed that these T cells were unlike the memory T cells which circulated around the body after an infection, they were actually residents of the skin! These resident CD4 memory T cells are also able to recruit other T cells to the site of infection, a key process in fighting off infections.
Mice that received tissue-resident CD4 cells via a skin graft from mice previously infected with Leishmaniasis, when given an injection of Leishmania-responsive T cells, were able to respond to an infection as effectively as a mouse that has developed natural immunity. This hints at a possibility of a vaccine through a method similar to that of the Smallpox vaccine, via a process known as scarification, which involves scratching the skin. This effectively generates tissue-resident memory cells.
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August 2015
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