CTL lymph node entrapment drives lymphopenia in severe influenza infection

Abstract

Influenza virus infection can result in outcomes ranging from moderate, self-limiting illness to severe, life-threatening disease. Although severe cases are frequently associated with CD8+ T cell lymphopenia, the underlying mechanisms driving this diminished T cell response remain poorly defined. Here, we investigated how severe influenza infection alters CD8+ T cell activation and trafficking. While CD8+ T cell priming was comparable between moderate and severe influenza infections, we found that during severe disease, effector CD8+ T cells were retained within the lung-draining lymph nodes (dLN). This entrapment was, in part, associated with a failure of effector CD8+ T cells to re-express..