大肠埃希菌性阴道感染小鼠模型的建立

目的 :建立大肠埃希菌定植的阴道感染小鼠模型。方法 :在阿莫西林溶液 (12 5mg/ml)冲洗小鼠阴道冲洗处理下 ,将致病性大肠埃希菌接种到小鼠阴道内。结果 :各组小鼠阴道冲洗液检出的平均对数值比较 ,经过阿莫西林溶液小鼠阴道冲洗处理后再接种大肠埃希菌的阿莫西林 +大肠埃希菌组 ,阴道内定植的大肠埃希菌数量 (8 18± 1 0 9)较经过生理盐水小鼠阴道冲洗处理后再接种大肠埃希菌组 (5 72± 0 6 8)明显增多 (P <0 0 5 ) ,而且小鼠阴道感染的症状明显 (P <0 0 5 )。结论 :通过抗生素处理后 ,再在小鼠阴道内接种大肠埃希菌 ,大肠埃希菌能够在小鼠阴道内得到定植 ,即建立起大肠埃希菌性阴道感染的小鼠模型。     

蜂胶酊对小鼠大肠埃希菌阴道炎疗效观察

目的探讨蜂胶酊对小鼠阴道内致病菌抑制及调理阴道菌群的作用。方法通过感染大肠埃希菌建立小鼠阴道炎模型,用10％和20％蜂胶酊冲洗治疗去除大肠埃希菌在小鼠阴道的定植。倾注培养（37℃,48h）计数阴道分泌物的细菌总数,镜下观察阴道黏膜炎症程度。结果蜂胶酊治疗组小鼠阴道内细菌的数量明显较对照组的数量减少（P〈0．05）,治疗组黏膜炎症的治愈程度显著好于对照组。结论蜂胶酊对小鼠大肠埃希菌性阴道炎有较好的治疗效果。     

定菌生调整实验小鼠念珠菌性阴道炎的菌群失调的研究

目的 应用阴道细菌培养与光镜细胞学检查相结合的方法,研究定菌生对阴道念珠菌感染的菌群失调的调整作用。方法 以小鼠为实验对象,用盐酸林可霉素造成阴道菌群失调,并将分离的念珠菌接种到小鼠阴道内,造成小鼠阴道念珠菌感染模型,分别采用定菌生、抗真菌＋定菌生及抗真菌（制霉菌素）治疗1疗程后,取其阴道分泌物进行念珠菌及乳杆菌的菌群分析,并同时进行分泌物镜检,取阴道组织标本做病理组织学检查。结果 模型组小鼠阴道内主要细菌数量乳杆菌显著下降（P〈0．01）．出现阴道红肿、分泌物多呈块状和阴道黏膜充血等念珠菌阴道炎的典型症状,分泌物涂片镜检查到白细胞及念珠菌,而定菌生组和定菌生＋制霉菌素组治疗的小鼠,阴道黏膜与健康对照组的阴道黏膜基本相同,阴道内主要菌群——乳杆菌的数量恢复正常,阴道内念珠菌显著降低,与自然恢复组相比差异有极显著性（P〈0．01）,与制霉菌素处理比差异也有显著性,治疗效果明显好于制霉菌素。结论 定菌生能阻止念珠菌对阴道上皮的粘附作用,能调整阴道的菌群,对阴道黏膜有一定的修复功能,是治疗念珠菌性阴道炎有效的微生态调节剂。     

阴道白假丝酵母菌过度增殖的小鼠模型建立

目的建立阴道白假丝酵母菌过度增殖的小鼠模型。方法甲硝唑溶液（浓度为12．5mg／mL）30μL注入小鼠阴道内,1次／d,连续5d,白假丝酵母菌菌液（1×10^8CFU／mL）30μL接种到小鼠阴道内,1次／d,连用5d。取阴道冲洗液进行阴道菌群分析,并做阴道组织标本电镜观察。结果模型组小鼠阴道内白假丝酵母菌活菌数显著增加,乳杆菌活菌数量显著下降（P〈0．01）,出现阴道红肿、分泌物多和黏膜充血等白假丝酵母菌过度增殖的典型症状。结论通过抗生素脱污染后,小鼠阴道内接种白假丝酵母菌,能在小鼠阴道内定植,成功建立阴道白假丝酵母菌过度增殖的小鼠模型。     

淋病奈瑟菌感染实验室检测技术的进展

细菌培养是诊断淋病奈瑟菌(NG)感染的"金标准",也是目前诊断淋病最可靠的方法.但淋病奈瑟菌在人体外抵抗力极弱,不易培养;仅做细菌形态学检查,诊断意义有限.随着淋病奈瑟菌耐药性不断增强,多重耐药菌出现并广泛传播.高敏感性、高特异性、操作简便的分子生物学检验技术,如单管多重聚合酶链反应(PCR)技术等,已开始用于淋病奈瑟...     

淋病奈瑟菌黏附机制的研究进展

淋病导致的公共卫生问题在世界范围内广泛存在.淋病奈瑟菌的唯一宿主是人类,该菌侵袭泌尿生殖道引起淋病.其感染的关键是黏附因子对黏膜细胞的黏附.淋病奈瑟菌主要黏附因子与细胞受体间的作用机制已经在细胞水平上研究得比较清楚,表达淋病奈瑟菌黏附因子受体的转基因动物可望成为淋病研究的合适动物模型,为深入研究淋病奈瑟菌的致病机制、研制淋病疫苗及新型治疗药物提供有效工具.     

UU1、UU3和UU4致昆明小鼠下生殖道致病性的研究

目的：研究解脲脲原体（Ureaplasma Urealyticum,UU）的第1血清型（UU1）、第3血清型（UU3）和第4血清型（UU4）对昆明小鼠下生殖道的致病性。方法：将100只昆明小鼠随机分为5组：空白组、雌二醇组、UU1组、UU3组和UU4组,每组20只;空白组和雌二醇组为对照组,UU1组、UU3组和UU4组为实验组;雌二醇组和实验组雌二醇化后1周,将UU1、UU3和UU4分别接种至UU1、UU3和UU4组小鼠泌尿生殖道,将液体培养基接种至空白组和雌激素组。2周后检测各组小鼠泌尿生殖道的IL-8、SIgA、TNF-α并取小鼠子宫组织行病理检查。结果：实验组小鼠UU接种都获得成功。IL-8、SIgA、TNF-α检测结果显示：实验组和对照组比较有显著性差异;UU4组和UU1组及UU3组比较有显著性差异;空白组和雌二醇组比较无显著性差异;UU1组和UU3组比较无显著性差异。病理显示：UU1、UU3和UU4组昆明小鼠子宫组织有炎细胞浸润,UU4组小鼠宫颈病变更明显。对照组小鼠子宫未见明显改变。结论：UU1、UU3和UU4可能导致昆明小鼠下生殖道产生病理反应;UU4可能短期致病力更强。     

空肠弯曲菌cheA基因插入突变及其对小鼠空肠定植能力的影响

摘要：【目的】构建空肠弯曲菌（Campylobacter jejuni）cheA基因插入突变株,了解CheA与空肠弯曲菌小鼠体内定植的相关性。【方法】运用同源重组的原理构建空肠弯曲菌cheA基因突变株,采用PCR技术检测cheA突变株的构建情况。通过基因回补试验构建cheA基因回补株。空肠弯曲菌感染小鼠,运用小鼠空肠内容物涂板计数的方法检测cheA突变株、cheA基因回补株和野生株定植小鼠能力的差异。【结果】PCR检测显示成功构建cheA基因突变株。空肠弯曲菌cheA基因突变株定植小鼠空肠的数量明显减少（P<0.05）;cheA基因回补株定植小鼠空肠的数量跟野生株相比无明显差异（P>0.05）。【结论】本研究成功构建cheA基因突变株及其回补株。cheA基因可能参与空肠弯曲菌在小鼠体内定植的过程。     

细胞壁缺陷型淋病奈瑟菌cppB基因的检测

目的：了解细胞壁缺陷对淋病奈瑟菌隐蔽性质粒B基因（cppB）的影响。方法：用青霉素诱导林病奈瑟菌成L型,以非高渗液体培养基传代培养并获得L型纯培养物,用cppB基因特异性引物以聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测不同代次稳定L型纯培养物的cppB基因。结果：淋病奈瑟菌细菌型及其传1-4代的L型培养物具有cppB基因,传5代后的L型培养物不能检出cppB基因。结论：细胞壁缺陷可造成淋病奈瑟菌隐蔽性质粒丢失,导致cppB基因PCR检测漏诊。     

念珠菌性阴道炎小鼠模型的建立

目的建立念珠菌定植的阴道感染小鼠模型。方法先用林可霉素溶液(浓度为100mg/ml)冲洗小鼠阴道,再将念珠菌接种到小鼠阴道内。结果模型组小鼠阴道内主要细菌数量乳杆菌显著下降(P<0.01),出现阴道红肿、分泌物多呈块状和阴道黏膜充血等念珠菌阴道炎的典型症状。结论通过抗生素处理后,再在小鼠阴道内接种念珠菌,念珠菌能在小鼠阴道内定植,即建立了念珠菌性阴道炎的小鼠模型。     

Estradiol regulates susceptibility following primary exposure to genital herpes simplex virus type 2, while progesterone induces inflammation

We report here that sex hormones modulate susceptibility to a sexually transmitted viral agent, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), in a mouse model. Ovariectomized mice were administered either saline (control), estradiol (E(2)), progesterone (P(4)), or a combination of both estradiol and progesterone (E+P) and infected intravaginally with HSV-2. With an inoculation dose of 10(5) PFU, the saline- and P(4)-treated mice were found to be highly susceptible to genital HSV-2 infection. Both groups had extensive pathology and high viral titers in vaginal secretions, and 100% of mice succumbed by day 4 postinfection. E(2)-treated mice were protected from HSV-2 infection at the same dose and did not display any vaginal pathology or viral shedding. There was a slow progression of genital pathology in the combination hormone-treated group, along with prolonged viral shedding; 80% of animals succumbed by day 13. With lower inoculation doses of 10(3) and 10(2) PFU, 50 and 100%, respectively, of the combination hormone-treated mice survived. Localization of HSV-2 infection showed extensive infection in the vaginal epithelium of P(4)- and saline-treated animals within 24 h of inoculation. E(2)-treated animals were clear of infection, while the E+P-treated group had focal infection at 24 h that had progressed extensively by day 3. Infection was accompanied by persistent inflammation and infiltration of neutrophils in the P(4)-treated group. An analysis of the genes in the vaginal tissue showed that inflammation in the P(4)-treated group correlated with local induction of chemokines and chemokine receptors that were absent in the E(2)-treated mice and in uninfected P(4)-treated mice. The results show that sex hormones regulate initiation of infection and immune responses to genital HSV-2 infection.     

Mouse Strain-Dependent Differences in Estrogen Sensitivity During Vaginal Candidiasis

The animal models available for studying the immune response to genital tract infection require induction of a pseudo estrous state, usually achieved by administration of 17-β-estradiol. In our experimental model of vaginal candidiasis, under pseudo estrus, different strains of mice were used. We observed major differences in the clearance of Candida albicans infection among the different strains, ascribable to differing susceptibility to estradiol treatment. In the early phase of infection CD1, BALB/c, C57BL/6 albino and C57BL/6 mice were colonized to similar levels, while in the late phase of infection, BALB/c mice, which are considered genetically resistant to C. albicans infection, exhibited greater susceptibility to vaginal candidiasis than CD1 and C57BL/6 albino strains of mice. This was because estradiol induced “per se” enlarged and fluid-filled uteri, more pronounced in infected mice and consistently more evident in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice than in CD1 mice. Unlike CD1, BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice showed a heavy fungal colonization of the uterus, even though C57BL/6 mice apparently cleared C. albicans from the vagina. The presence of C. albicans in the vagina and uterus was accompanied by a heavy bacterial load. Collectively these observations prompted us to carry out a careful analysis of estradiol effects in a mouse model of vaginal infection.     

Specific IgA and IgG antibodies in the secretions of the female reproductive tract: effects of immunization and estradiol on expression of this response in vivo

Uterine and vaginal secretions collected from intact adult female rats were analyzed to determine whether immunization at sites distal to the reproductive tract had any effect on the presence of specific IgA and IgG antibodies in genital tract secretions. Peyer's patch and i.p. immunization and boost with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) stimulated the appearance of specific IgA antibodies in uterine and vaginal secretions of uterine-ligated animals. IgG antibodies were also induced in uterine but not in vaginal secretions. In contrast, subcutaneous immunization and boost elicited a weak IgA uterine and IgG vaginal response. To establish the role of estradiol in regulating the presence of specific antibodies in the female genital tract, ovariectomized rats received primary and/or secondary Peyer's patch immunizations with hormone treatment. Administration of estradiol daily for 3 days before sacrifice resulted in a significant accumulation of IgA and IgG antibodies to SRBC in uterine secretions. In the absence of estradiol, antibody content was negligible. Vaginal antibody levels were also clearly influenced by estradiol. In contrast to the uterus, however, specific IgA and IgG antibodies were present in the vaginal secretions of saline-injected immunized animals and were markedly inhibited in animals treated with estradiol. These results indicate that antibodies in genital tract secretions can be induced by immunization of the Peyer's patches and that their presence in uterine secretions is clearly dependent on estradiol. Further, they indicate that gut-derived specific antibodies enter the vagina in the absence of hormone stimulation and that estradiol exerts an inhibitory effect on their presence in vaginal secretions.     

沙眼衣原体感染诱导小鼠生殖道局部促炎性细胞因子的表达情况

建立小鼠生殖道沙眼衣原体感染模型,观察小鼠生殖道局部促炎性细胞因子的表达。将小鼠生物型沙眼衣原体C. muridarum 1＆#215;104 IFU阴道接种于C57B6背景雌性小鼠,取感染后阴道拭子做沙眼衣原体培养,计算IFU,监测小鼠感染和病原体清除情况;80 d后处死小鼠,检测子宫输卵管病理改变;ELISA检测感染过程中小鼠生殖道促炎性细胞因子IL-1α、IL-6、MIP-2和TNF-α产生情况。小鼠感染在第3至第15天维持较高水平,然后病原体被逐渐清除,整个病程约3~5周;病理检测显示子宫输卵有严重炎症、管腔扩张积水,狭窄等;于感染后第3天检测到局部IL-1α、IL-6、MIP-2分泌,第7天达高峰,然后逐渐下降至正常水平（ IL-6于11 d恢复正常,IL-1α和 MIP-2于15 d恢复正常）。 TNF-α仅在第7天检测到高水平表达。相对于TNF-α和IL-6,IL-1α和MIP-2维持时间较长。成功建立沙眼衣原体感染小鼠生殖道模型,沙眼衣原体急性感染可诱导小鼠生殖道局部分泌IL-1α、IL-6、MIP-2和TNF-α。     

In vivo role of nectin-1 in entry of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 through the vaginal mucosa

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is transmitted through the genital mucosa during sexual encounters. In recent years, HSV-1 has also become commonly associated with primary genital herpes. The mechanism of viral entry of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in the female genital tract is unknown. In order to understand the molecular interactions required for HSV entry into the vaginal epithelium, we examined the expression of herpesvirus entry mediator nectin-1 in the vagina of human and mouse at different stages of their hormonal cycle. Nectin-1 was highly expressed in the epithelium of human vagina throughout the menstrual cycle, whereas the mouse vaginal epithelium expressed nectin-1 only during the stages of the estrous cycle in which mice are susceptible to vaginal HSV infection. Furthermore, the ability of nectin-1 to mediate viral entry following intravaginal inoculation was examined in a mouse model of genital herpes. Vaginal infection with either HSV-1 or HSV-2 was blocked by preincubation of the virus with soluble recombinant nectin-1. Viral entry through the vaginal mucosa was also inhibited by preincubation of HSV-2 with antibody against gD. Together, these results suggest the importance of nectin-1 in mediating viral entry for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 in the genital mucosa in female hosts.     

Loss of the type I interferon pathway increases vulnerability of mice to genital herpes simplex virus 2 infection

The mouse model of genital herpes relies on medoxyprogesterone treatment of female mice to render the vaginal lumen susceptible to inoculation with herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2). In the present study, we report that mice deficient in the A1 chain of the type I interferon receptor (CD118(-/-)) are susceptible to HSV-2 in the absence of medroxyprogesterone preconditioning. In the absence of hormone pretreatment, 2,000 PFU of a clinical isolate of HSV-2 was sufficient to establish a productive infection in the vagina of 75% ± 17% and in the spinal cord of 71% ± 14% of CD118(-/-) mice, whereas the same dose of HSV-2 replicated to detectable levels in only 13% ± 13% of vaginal samples and 0% of spinal cord samples from wild-type mice, as determined at day 5 postinfection. The susceptibility to HSV-2 infection in the CD118(-/-) mice was associated with a significant reduction in the infiltration of HSV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes into the vaginal tissue, the local production of gamma interferon (IFN-γ), and the expression of T cell-recruiting chemokines CCL5, CXCL9, and CXCL10. Collectively, the results underscore the significant contribution of type I IFNs in resistance to genital HSV-2 infection.     

Estradiol Enhances CD4+ T-Cell Anti-Viral Immunity by Priming Vaginal DCs to Induce Th17 Responses via an IL-1-Dependent Pathway

Clinical and experimental studies have shown that estradiol (E2) confers protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Here, we investigated the underlying mechanism. Better protection in E2-treated mice, immunized against genital HSV-2, coincided with earlier recruitment and higher proportions of T_h1 and T_h17 effector cells in the vagina post-challenge, compared to placebo-treated controls. Vaginal APCs isolated from E2-treated mice induced 10-fold higher T_h17 and T_h1 responses, compared to APCs from progesterone-treated, placebo-treated, and estradiol-receptor knockout mice in APC-T cell co-cultures. CD11c⁺ DCs in the vagina were the predominant APC population responsible for priming these T_h17 responses, and a potent source of IL-6 and IL-1β, important factors for T_h17 differentiation. T_h17 responses were abrogated in APC-T cell co-cultures containing IL-1β KO, but not IL-6 KO vaginal DCs, showing that IL-1β is a critical factor for T_h17 induction in the genital tract. E2 treatment in vivo directly induced high expression of IL-1β in vaginal DCs, and addition of IL-1β restored T_h17 induction by IL-1β KO APCs in co-cultures. Finally, we examined the role of IL-17 in anti-HSV-2 memory T cell responses. IL-17 KO mice were more susceptible to intravaginal HSV-2 challenge, compared to WT controls, and vaginal DCs from these mice were defective at priming efficient T_h1 responses in vitro, indicating that IL-17 is important for the generation of efficient anti-viral memory responses. We conclude that the genital mucosa has a unique microenvironment whereby E2 enhances CD4⁺ T cell anti-viral immunity by priming vaginal DCs to induce T_h17 responses through an IL-1-dependent pathway.     

Mucosal Immunity to Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infection in the Mouse Vagina Is Impaired by In Vivo Depletion of T Lymphocytes

Intravaginal (IVAG) inoculation of wild-type herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in mice causes epithelial infection followed by lethal neurological illness, while IVAG inoculation of attenuated HSV-2 causes epithelial infection followed by development of protective immunity against subsequent IVAG challenge with wild-type virus. The role of T cells in this immunity was studied by in vivo depletion of these cells with monoclonal antibodies. Three groups of mice were used for each experiment: nonimmune/challenged mice, immune/challenged mice, and immune depleted mice [immune mice depleted of a T-cell subset(s) shortly before challenge with HSV-2]. Mice were assessed for epithelial infection 24 h after challenge, virus protein in the vaginal lumen 3 days after challenge, and neurological illness 8 to 14 days after challenge. Monoclonal antibodies to CD4, CD8, or Thy-1 markedly reduced T cells in blood, spleen, and vagina, but major histocompatibility complex class II antigens were still partially upregulated in the vaginal epithelium after virus challenge, indicating that virus-specific memory T-cell function was not entirely eliminated from the vagina. Nevertheless, immune mice depleted of CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, Thy-1⁺ T cells, or CD8⁺ T cells alone had greater viral infection in the vaginal epithelium than nondepleted immune mice, indicating that T cells contribute to immunity against vaginal HSV-2 infection. All immune depleted mice retained substantial immunity to epithelial infection and were immune to neurological illness, suggesting that other immune mechanisms such as virus-specific antibody may also contribute to immunity.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a sexually transmitted pathogen that infects the human genital tract. The prevalence of this infection is increasing worldwide, and at present over 20% of the adult U.S. population is infected with the virus (12). The virus spreads from the genital tract to the nervous system, and latent virus can persist in infected ganglia for long periods after primary infection is resolved. Activation of latent virus causes recurrent lesions in the genital tract and adjacent tissues (3). Infections are particularly severe in immunocompromised individuals and in infants who are infected during delivery through an infected birth canal. Oral treatment with acyclovir can reduce the severity of infections, but vaccination to prevent or control HSV-2 infections is highly desirable. Development of an effective vaccine to prevent genital HSV-2 infection in women is problematic at present because we do not clearly understand how to elicit strong protective immunity in the mucosa of the female genital tract. Investigations of immunity to genital HSV-2 infection in animal models are likely to play an important part in the development of a vaccine for human use. An added advantage of such investigations is that the basic information so obtained may be applicable to vaccines for other human sexually transmitted diseases.Experimental studies of host resistance to genital herpes have been carried out by using a mouse model (7–9). In this model, intravaginal (IVAG) inoculation of wild-type, thymidine kinase-expressing HSV-2 (TK⁺HSV-2) into young BALB/c mice caused epithelial infection followed by lethal neurological illness. The investigators also constructed an attenuated strain of the virus, ΔTK⁻HSV-2, that contained a partial deletion of the thymidine kinase gene (9). Unlike its wild-type counterpart, the attenuated virus inoculated IVAG caused mild inflammation in the vagina and was incapable of lethal neurological spread. Importantly, IVAG inoculation of BALB/c mice with ΔTK⁻HSV-2 induced a protective immunity to subsequent lethal challenge with TK⁺HSV-2 (9).Studies of immunity to vaginal HSV-2 infection in the young-mouse model were constrained by the relationship between vaginal infection and age (9, 21). Approximately 100% of weaned mice were susceptible to vaginal HSV-2 infection, but infection declined exponentially with increasing host age; fewer than 10% of mice were susceptible to HSV-2 at 14 to 16 weeks of age (9). However, several studies have shown that adult female mice treated with progesterone or sequentially with estradiol and Depo-Provera (E/DP-treated mice) became uniformly susceptible to vaginal HSV-2 infection (1, 13, 16). Vaginal infection of E/DP-treated mice with attenuated HSV-2 produced immunity that protected the mice against later infection by wild-type virus (16). Interestingly, 35 of 36 nonimmune mice showed immunostaining of virus proteins in the vaginal epithelium 24 h after IVAG inoculation of HSV-2, while only 1 of 9 immune mice challenged with the virus showed epithelial infection at this time (16). This indicates that virus infection or replication in the vaginal epithelium was rapidly and severely inhibited in the immune mice and suggests that local immune mechanisms in the vaginal mucosa were important in protection against challenge infection.One local immune mechanism that could prevent infection of the vaginal epithelium is neutralization of challenge virus by secreted antibody in the vaginal lumen. McDermott et al. (7) and Milligan and Bernstein (11) demonstrated immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies specific for HSV-2 in vaginal secretions of young immune mice; antiviral IgA either was not detected or was detected only at very low titers in vaginal fluids in these mice. More recently, Parr et al. (14) found IgG viral antibody in vaginal secretions of adult immune mice at a mean titer of 6,200, whereas the mean titer of viral secretory IgA (S-IgA) in the same secretions was only 1.9. The protective role of IgG and S-IgA in vaginal secretions of adult immune mice has also been studied (15). Unfractionated vaginal antibodies from immune and nonimmune mice and affinity-purified IgG and S-IgA from immune vaginal secretions were adjusted to their in vivo concentrations in the vagina. Neutralization of HSV-2 was studied by incubating the virus in the antibody preparations in vitro, followed by inoculation into vaginas of nonimmune test mice. Virus was neutralized by unfractionated immune antibody and by purified immune IgG but not by unfractionated nonimmune antibody or by purified immune S-IgA. To determine whether immune IgG alone could protect against vaginal HSV-2 infection in vivo, purified serum IgG from immune and nonimmune donors was passively transferred to nonimmune recipients 72 h prior to virus challenge in the vagina. Passively transferred immune IgG reduced virus infection of vaginal epithelium, shed virus protein concentrations in the vaginal lumen, and illness scores, even though the viral antibody titers in serum and vaginal secretions of recipient mice were only 29 and 8%, respectively, of those in standards prepared from actively immunized mice. Collectively, the data indicated that IgG viral antibody in vaginal secretions of immune mice provided early protection against vaginal challenge infection, probably by neutralizing virus in the vaginal lumen before it could infect the epithelium. In contrast, viral S-IgA antibody contributed relatively little to immune protection of the vagina in this model.Another immune mechanism that might reduce infection of the vaginal epithelium after viral challenge is T-cell-mediated immunity. Adoptive transfer of lymphocytes from the genital lymph nodes of immune mice protected nonimmune mice against neurological illness after vaginal challenge with wild-type HSV-2 (8). This observation indicates that virus-specific T cells, if present in sufficient numbers, can protect against neurological illness, but it remains unknown whether the T cells that are actually present in immune mice protect against either vaginal epithelial infection or neurological illness. Few T cells were present in the vaginas of normal mice (17), but the numbers of CD4⁺, CD8⁺, and Thy-1.2⁺ T cells increased markedly in the vaginas of immune mice after challenge with wild-type virus (16). Similarly, we have shown that T cells with the memory phenotype continuously recirculate through the vaginal epithelium and that the number of recirculating memory cells was markedly increased when immune mice were challenged in the vagina with HSV-2 (5). The presence of specific HSV-2 memory T cells in the vaginal epithelium of immune mice is also indicated by the rapid (less than 24 h) upregulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen expression in the epithelium after vaginal challenge with HSV-2. In comparison, upregulation of MHC class II antigens was not detected in the vaginal epithelium until 3 days after a primary vaginal HSV-2 infection in nonimmune mice (16). In the present study, we used the adult mouse model to examine the effects of acute in vivo depletion of T-cell subsets in immune mice on vaginal epithelial infection and neurological illness after vaginal challenge with wild-type HSV-2.