The induction of respiratory syncytial virus-specific cytotoxic T-cell responses following immunization with a synthetic peptide containing a fusion peptide linked to a cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope.

Previously published work has shown that a cytotoxic T-cell epitope (CTL) representing residues 82-90 of the M2 protein of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the target for a protective response against the virus. In this report, we demonstrate that a synthetic peptide representing residues 81-95, when covalently linked to a fusion peptide derived from the conserved N-terminal 19 residues of the F1 protein of measles virus efficiently primes RSV-specific CTLs in vivo following immunization without adjuvant.