Description
CD8 T cells play an importart role in adaptive immunity to intracellular pathogens. Nave CD8 T cells , that have not encountered antigen previously can be identified by virtue of their distinct phenotype. Upon antigenic encounter, they proliferate rapidly and undergo massive reprograming to differentiate to cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The yellow fever live virus vaccine (YF-17D) provides a model primary acute viral infection that can be used to follow this response.Here we characterize the resting, non-activated naive CD8 T cells in nine healthy adults and YF-specific CD8 T cells elicited in response to YF-17D vaccination from the same donors during the effector (2 weeks after vaccination) and memory (5-8 months later) stages.