Stimulation of protective CD8(+) T lymphocytes by vaccination with nonliving bacteria

Infectious diseases caused by intracellular microbes are responsible for major health problems, and satisfactory control will ultimately depend on efficient vaccination strategies. The general assumption is that activation of protective immune responses against intracellular microbes dominated by CD8(+) T cells are achieved only by live vaccines. In contrast, we here demonstrate stimulation of protective immunity in mice against the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes by vaccination with heat-killed listeriae. Vaccine-induced immunity comprised cytolytic and interferon gamma-producing CD8(+) T lymphocytes. CD8(+) T cells from vaccinated donor mice transferred protection against listeriosis. Moreover, vaccination with heat-killed listeriae induced protection in CD4(+) T-cell-deficient, H2-A beta gene-disrupted mutant mice. We conclude that antigens from killed listeriae are introduced into the major histocompatibility complex class I pathway and thus are recognized by CD8(+) T cells. The practicability of killed vaccines against human infectious diseases therefore should be reevaluated.