by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Psychological stress has been shown to inhibit the protective effects of vaccination against herpes simplex virus (HSV) in mice mucosa.
"Psychological stress has been shown to affect many components of the innate and adaptive immune responses to a variety of pathogens including herpes simplex virus," said study coauthors R. H. Bonneau and K. M. Wonnacott from the Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. "However, there is a scarcity of experimental evidence that stress affects mucosal immunity."
Investigators used a murine model in which HSV-specific immunity is conferred only by one type of T lymphocyte (memory cytotoxic T lymphocyte, CTLm). The CTLm are activated upon vaccination with a recombinant vaccinia (smallpox) virus.
The mice were vaccinated and then challenged with a lethal dose of HSV introduced intravaginally or intranasally. The ability of the CTLm to protect against infection in stressed mice was diminished when compared with nonstressed mice. However, the CTLm impairment was notable only in the mucosa; virus levels in the associated nerves were not significantly affected.
In addition to decreased protection against HSV infection, mice that were stressed experienced a greater amount of HSV-induced vaginal damage (The effects of stress on memory cytotoxic T lymphocyte-mediated protection against herpes simplex virus infection at mucosal sites, Brain Behavior and Immunity, 2002;16(2):104-117).
The corresponding author for this study is R.H. Bonneau, Pennsylvania State University, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology and Immunology H107, 55 University Drive, Hershey, PA, USA.
Key points reported in this study include:
 | Stress reduced the immune response against herpes simplex virus (HSV) in mice. |
| The immune response suppression in the murine model used was limited to the mucosa; HSV levels in the associated nerves were unaffected. |
| Stress also reduced the ability of the immune system to protect against HSV-induced damage to vaginal tissue. This article was prepared by Vaccine Weekly editors from staff and other reports. |
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