Detecting specific memory t and b cells in volunteers annually revaccinated with live anthrax vaccine

Currently, live anthrax vaccine has been used for vaccine prophylaxis in Russia and neighbor countries for seve ral decades, but precise mechanism of post-vaccination protection mechanism remains unclear. Here, we provide data on examining serum antibody level against protective antigen (PA) and lethal factor (LF) in repeatedly vaccinated volun teers at early stage (5–8 days) and 1 month after the performing pre-scheduled annual revaccination. Amount of peripheral blood antigen-specific memory T cells after previous vaccinations was analyzed. It was showed that frequency of CD3+CD45RO+CD62L– memory effector T cells was increased in the majority of volunteers on day 5-8 day after performing pre-scheduled annual revaccination that peaked at day 7 by elevating it by 2-fold compared with the control group. Percentage of anthrax-specific central memory T cells did not increase at early stage after vaccination, whereas amount of activated CD3+CD45RO+CD62L+HLA-DR+ subset within this memory T cell population was increased. Likewise, percentage of activated CD3+CD45RO+CD62L–HLA-DR+ effector memory T cell subset was also increased. Moreover, serum anti-PA IgG were detected on day 5–8 day after pre-scheduled annual revaccination in half of volunteers, whereas anti-LF IgG were found only in a single volunteer. Rapidly elevated amount of serum anthrax-specific IgG antibodies evidences about sustained memory B cell response in peripheral blood samples in volunteers after pre-scheduled annual revaccination. However, percentage of CD19+CD27+ memory B cells was not significantly elevated at early stage after revaccination that tended to increase. Both helper and cytotoxic T cell subsets were activated on day 5–8 after revaccination revealed by upregulated expression of CD69 and/or CD25 markers, with the latter predominantly found on helper T cells, thereby accounting for their high proliferative activity, whereas the former — on cytotoxic T cell subsets. Detection of anti-PA IgG antibodies correlates with protection against anthrax, which was confirmed in animal models. Unfortunately, the level of serum anti-PA IgG antibodies rapidly declines after vaccination. Ability of memory B cells to rapidly trigger production of anthrax-specific antibodies in response to revaccination suggests that anti-anthrax immunity may be evaluated by measuring frequency of peripheral blood anthrax-specific memory B and T cells.