Effective protection against Listeria monocytogenes and delayed-type hypersensitivity to listerial antigens depend on cooperation between specific L3T4+ and Lyt 2+ T cells.

Selected L3T4- and Lyt 2- T-cell subpopulations from Listeria monocytogenes-infected mice were transferred into syngenic recipients, and their capacity to adoptively mediate protection against L. monocytogenes and delayed-type hypersensitivity to listerial antigens was determined. Both functions were markedly reduced by pretreatment of cells with either anti-L3T4 or anti-Lyt 2.2 antibodies plus complement, but they could be restored by admixture of the two selected T-cell subsets. Thus, after systemic cell transfer effective protection against L. monocytogenes and delayed-type hypersensitivity to listerial antigens depend on cooperation between specific L3T4+ and Lyt 2+ T cells.