Cellular immunity to the mouse pneumonitis agent.

During infection with the mouse pneumonitis biovar of Chlamydia trachomatis, heterozygous (nu/+) mice with relatively intact T cell function develop both delayed hypersensitivity to C trachomatis antigen and antigen-specific lymphocyte transformation, whereas athymic nude (nu/nu) mice do not. Nu/nu mice are protected against death from mouse pneumonitis by transfer of immune T cells from nu/+ mice, which are more resistant to C trachomatis. While this enables athymic mice to make antibody to C trachomatis (which does not occur without reconstitution), resistance correlates best with development of antigen-specific lymphocyte transformation in the recipient animals. During infection nu/+ mice develop activated alveolar macrophages (by both morphological and functional criteria) while nu/nu mice do not. Nu/+ mice that have been preinfected with Histoplasma capsulatum to activate cellular immunity become more resistant to C trachomatis than do nu/+ controls. Cell-mediated immunity to C trachomatis pneumonia is T cell dependent and is important in host defense.