Stress and the anti-influenza immune response: Repeated social defeat augments clonal expansion of CD8(+)T cells during primary influenza A viral infection. - 1

JW Mays, ND Powell, JT Hunzeker, ML Hanke, MT Bailey, JF Sheridan. (2012). " Stress and the anti-influenza immune response: Repeated social defeat augments clonal expansion of CD8(+)T cells during primary influenza A viral infection. " J Neuroimmunol. 243, 34-42. PMID: 22244573 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2011.12.011

Social disruption stress (SDR) prior to primary influenza A virus (IAV) infection augments memory to IAV re-challenge in a T cell-specific manner. However, the effect of SDR on the primary anti-viral immune response has not been elucidated. In this study, SDR-infected (INF) mice terminated viral gene expression earlier and mounted an enhanced pulmonary IAV-specific CD8(+)T cell response versus controls. Additionally, SDR-INF mice had a more pro-inflammatory lung profile prior to and during infection and an attenuated corticosterone response. These data demonstrate neuroendocrine modification of the lung microenvironment and increased antigen-specific T cell activation, clonal expansion and viral control in stress-exposed mice