Significance of thymus-derived lymphocytes in immunity elicited by immunization with ribosomes or live yeast cells of Histoplasma capsulatum.

The lymphoid cells responsible for protective immunity to histoplasmosis were characterized. Adoptive transfer of spleen and peritoneal cells treated with antiserum to theta-antigen from mice immunized with ribosomes or live yeast cells of Histoplasma capsulatum abrogated the ability of these cells to protect the syngeneic recipients, whereas treatment of lymphoid cells with antiserum to IgG did not affect the immunity. Prior removal of glass-adhering cells from spleen and peritoneal cell suspensions did not alter their protective activity. Treatment with mitomycin C, an antimitotic agent, ablated the capacity of immune lymphocytes to protect the syngeneic recipients. These results indicate that the immune spleen and peritoneal cells that confer immunity to histoplasmosis are thymus-dependent (T) lymphocytes and that their active proliferation in the recipients is necessary for expression of the protective immunity. Furthermore, the immunity elicited by immunization with histoplasma ribosomes and live yeast cells is mediated by a similar mechanism.