38 000 MW antigen-specific major histocompatibility complex class I restricted interferon-γ-secreting CD8⁺ T cells in healthy contacts of tuberculosis

CD8⁺ T lymphocytes are required to protect mice against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, although in early infection the mechanism appears not to be via perforin or granzyme-mediated lysis of the infected target, and may be via interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production. We therefore investigated whether CD8⁺ T cells specific for the immunoprotective 38 000 MW antigen of M. tuberculosis could be detected in infected humans. Using a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the 38000 MW antigen of M. tuberculosis (rV38) and a control vaccinia virus (rVras) we demonstrated that both viruses stimulated IFN-γ production from freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in a 36-hr enzyme-linked immunospot assay. Cell depletion and antibody blockade established that the bulk of the 38 000 MW antigen-specific IFN-γ response was mediated by CD8⁺, major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted T cells, whereas the anti-vaccinia virus response was predominantly mediated by CD4⁺ T cells. In further evaluations PBMC from all seven healthy tuberculosis-exposed contacts had a 38 000 MW antigen-specific IFN-γ response, whereas seven patients with untreated sputum-positive pulmonary tuberculosis had very low levels of 38 000 antigen-specific IFN-γ-producing cells. These preliminary observations demonstrate the utility of recombinant vaccinia viruses in restimulating freshly isolated CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells. The bias towards a higher frequency of IFN-γ-producing CD8⁺ T cells in contacts rather than patients may indicate a protective role for CD8⁺ cells in human tuberculosis.