Tracking the dynamics of salmonella specific T cell responses

Abstract

Over the last decade, significant advances have been made in the methodology for studying immune responses in vivo. It is now possible to follow almost every aspect of pathogen-specific immunity using in vivo models that incorporate physiological infectious doses and natural routes of infection. This new ability to study immunity in a relevant physiological context will greatly expand our understanding of the dynamic interplay between host and pathogen. Visualizing the resolution of primary infection and the development of long-term immunological memory should also aid the development of new vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases. In this review, we will describe the application of in vivo visualization technology to Salmonella infection, describe our current understanding of Salmonella-specific immunity, and discuss some unanswered questions that remain in this model.

Figure 1. Salmonella in the splenic red pulp of infected mice

C57BL/6 mice were infected orally with 5×10⁹ attenuated Salmonella, SL3261 and whole body sections were taken three days later. Sections were blocked and stained with an antibody specific to Salmonella LPS and the signal amplified using biotinyl tyramide and Streptavidin-Cy5 (red). Tissue was counterstained will DAPI (blue) to stain nuclei. Images show staining of spleens from control or Salmonella-infected mice.