Università della Svizzera italiana

The oral commensal Streptococcus mitis shows a mixed memory Th cell signature that is similar to and cross-reactive with Streptococcus pneumoniae

Engen, Stian André ; Rukke, Håkon Valen ; Becattini, Simone ; Jarrossay, David ; Blix, Inger Johanne ; Petersen, Fernanda Cristina ; Sallusto, Federica ; Schenck, Karl

In: Plos one, 2017, vol. 9, no. 8, p. e104306

Background: Carriage of and infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae is known to predominantly induce T helper 17 (Th17) responses in humans, but the types of Th cells showing reactivity towards commensal streptococci with low pathogenic potential, such as the oral commensals S. mitis and S. salivarius, remain uncharacterized. Methods: Memory CD4+ T helper (Th) cell subsets were isolated from...