IFN-γ and IL-17 are produced by distinct <i>B. pertussis</i>-specific CD4⁺ T cell subsets from BPZE1-immunized mice.

<p>BALB/c mice were left untreated (Naïve) or immunized intranasally with 10⁶ CFU of <i>B. pertussis</i> BPZE1 (BPZE1). Eight weeks later, the mice were sacrificed, and spleens of three individual mice per group were pooled and homogenized to obtain single-cell suspensions. 2.5×10⁶ cells were cultured in triplicate overnight in the presence (PTX) or absence (Medium) of 10 µg/ml PTX. Spleen-derived T cells were then labelled for surface expression of CD4, and intracellular IFN-γ and IL-17 expression was assessed by flow cytometry. The results are representative of three independent experiments.