Long-term depletion of CD8+ T cells in vivo in the rat: no observed role for CD8+ (cytotoxic/suppressor) cells in the immunoregulation of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

A method is described for the long-term depletion of CD8+ T cells in the rat. Employing Lewis rats depleted of this cell type it is shown that such animals acquire, and subsequently recover from both passively and actively induced experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in a comparable fashion to normal animals. Furthermore, after spontaneous recovery from the initial bout of disease, CD8+ T cell-depleted rats do not show any signs of relapse and, like normal rats following recovery from active EAE, are still resistant to further attempts at disease induction. Overall, these data do not support a role for the classic cytotoxic/suppressor (CD8+) T cell in the immunoregulation of EAE in the Lewis rat.