Case report: T-cell responses during clearance of andes virus from blood cells 2 months after severe hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome^†

Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS) due to Andes virus (ANDV) is endemic in Chile and Argentina and currently demonstrates a case-fatality rate of 37% in humans. By contrast to the chronically infected rodents, it is believed that ANDV in humans is cleared during the acute phase. Moreover, to date, both magnitude and quality of human T-cell responses during ANDV infection and clearance are unknown. Using IFN-γ and granzyme B ELISPOT assays as well as flow cytometry, we prospectively studied the ANDV-specific T-cell responses in a 56-year-old convalescing survivor of severe HCPS, whose blood cells remained PCR-positive for ANDV-RNA until day 53 after hospital admission, that is, 67 days after infection and 42 days after discharge. PCR-negativity was closely related to the increase and function of (Gn_46–60)-specific IFN-γ⁺ granzyme B⁺ CD8⁺ T-cells, but not to neutralizing antibody titers. Concurrently, the phenotype of CD45RA⁺CCR7⁻ Gn_46–60-specific T-cells shifted from a CD28⁻CD27⁺ “intermediate” to a CD28⁻ CD27⁻ “late” effector memory beyond day 53 after hospital admission. This is the first report that shows that ANDV can persist in the human hosts for more than 2 months. Moreover, the kinetics of T-cell responses during ANDV clearance may indicate a major role of T-cells for clearance of ANDV and human immunity to this pathogen. J. Med. Virol. 80:1947–1951, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.