Cell-mediated immunity in herpes simplex virus-infected mice: induction, characterization and antiviral effects of delayed type hypersensitivity.

Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) was induced ihe reaction was observed 4 to 5 days p.i. and could still be induced up to 18 months later. In contrast, the adoptive transfer of DTH using draining lymph node cells was only possible during the period 6 to 10 days p.i. The cells taken at these times also contained mediators of antiviral immunity, as determined by a marked reduction of virus titres in the ears of infected animals 1 to 3 days after transfer. Draining lymph node cells taken at later times contained mediators of virus immunity, but titres were not reduced until day 5 after the transfer. The cell type involved in both the DTH and antiviral activity was a T lymphocyte, although the particular T cell subsets involved have yet to be determined.