Cohousing with Dirty Mice Increases the Frequency of Memory T Cells and Has Variable Effects on Intracellular Bacterial Infection

Abstract

The presence of memory lymphocytes in nonlymphoid tissues reflects prior immunological experience and can provide nonspecific defense against infection. In this study, we used a mouse cohousing approach to examine the effect of prior immunological experience on Salmonella and Chlamydia infection. As expected, cohousing of “dirty mice” with specific pathogen–free laboratory mice increased the frequency of effector memory T cells in laboratory mice and enhanced protection against systemic Listeria infection. In contrast, the course of systemic infection with Salmonella and mucosal infection with Chlamydia was largely unaffected by cohousing, despite enhanced frequencies of memory T cells. Thus, cohousing of laboratory mice reliably increases the proportion of memory T cells in circulation, but can it have variable effects on pathogen clearance.