Persistent T Cell Immunity Following Nipah Virus Infection: Evidence From Malaysian Survivors

Nipah virus (NiV) induces strong humoral immunity, but the durability of NiV-specific memory T cell responses remains unclear. We characterized cellular immunity approximately 25 years after infection in four survivors of the 1998 Malaysian outbreak. PBMCs were stimulated with overlapping peptide mini-pools spanning the NiV fusion (NiV-F) and attachment (NiV-G) glycoproteins, and responses were assessed using ELISpot and ICS. Durable cytokine-producing T cell responses were detected, with immunodominant epitopes in the NiV-G ectodomain. Survivors with neurological sequelae exhibited stronger T cell responses and cognitive impairment, highlighting persistent cellular immunity decades after infection with implications for vaccine development.