Involvement of T- and B-lymphocytes in the immune response to the protein exotoxin and the lipopolysaccharide antigens of Vibrio cholerae.

The immune response at the level of individual immunocytes to the somatic lipopolysaccharide antigen derived from whole Vibrio cholerae and to the purified protein exotoxin from this organism were studied in terms of the role of T- and B-lymphocytes. By adoptive cell transfer studies with irradiated recipient mice, it was shown that normal spleen cells from normal syngeneic mice could readily transfer the capability of responding to both types of cholera antigens. However, when the spleen cells were depleted of T-cells with anti-theta serum and complement, antibody responsiveness to the LPS antigen, but not to exotoxin, could be achieved in recipients. Furthermore, by appropriate transfer of either bone marrow, thymus, or thymus-marrow cell mixtures to irradiated mice, it was shown that the response to the cholera somatic antigen was relatively independent of thymus cells, whereas the response to exotoxin required "helper" T-cells. The role of thymus and bone marrow cells in the intestinal tract in immune responses to the somatic and toxic antigens of cholera vibrios requires further investigation. Further studies should also provide additional information not only concerning the mechanism of the immune response to these antigens in terms of basic mechanisms of antibody formation, but also should provide valuable information in terms of anticholera immunity per se.