Cell-mediated immunity to varicella-zoster virus measured by virus inactivation: mechanism and blocking of the reaction by specific antibody.

The process whereby varicella-zoster (V-Z) virus is inactivated in vitro by immune human peripheral blood leukocytes stimulated with V-Z antigen was examined. It was found that stimulation of leukocytes by V-Z antigen, but not by other viral antigens, was required for inactivation of V-Z virus to occur. Viral inactivation could be blocked by addition of V-Z antiserum to either the stimulation phase of the reaction or the inactivation phase, further demonstrating the specificity of the reaction. In addition these blocking experiments suggested that modulation of V-Z membrane antigen by antiserum occurred with an accompanying loss of immunological recognition of virus-infected cells. Inactivation of V-Z virus in vitro in this study appeared not to be dependent upon the secretion of interferon or upon antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The specific cells required for V-Z inactivation were T lymphocytes and monocytes (macrophage precursors).