Induction of antigen-specific T cell responses in human volunteers after intranasal immunization with a whole-cell pertussis vaccine

We have studied the ability of an intranasally administered whole-cell pertussis vaccine (WCP) without adjuvant to induce antigen-specific T cell responses in humans. Six adult volunteers were given a vaccine dose (corresponding to 250 μg protein) by nasal spray four times at weekly intervals, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were assayed for antigen-specific proliferative T cell responses. All six vaccinees had a WCP-specific response, which in four of them remained elevated throughout the 2 month study. All participants also responded to the filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA) antigen, and four of them responded to inactivated pertussis toxin (PTd). A significant correlation between T cell proliferation against WCP and WCP-specific IgA antibody levels in nasal secretions was observed. This demonstrates that intranasal administration of a non-proliferating bacterial vaccine without any additional mucosal adjuvant can induce vaccine-specific T cell responses related to mucosal IgA secretion.