Development of a simplified and convenient assay for cell-mediated immunity to the mumps virus

• We report a simplified assay for measuring mumps virus-specific cell-mediated immunity.
• The key aspect of this assay is that it can be performed using whole blood.
• We suggest that cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity can be measured using the interferon-γ release (IR) assay.
• The IR assay will be employed as a method for evaluating the effects of vaccination.

Because methods for measuring cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to the mumps virus are expensive, time-consuming, and technically demanding, the role of CMI in mumps virus infection remains unclear. To address this issue, we report here the development of a simplified method for measuring mumps virus-specific CMI that is suitable for use in diverse laboratory and clinical settings. A mumps vaccine was cultured with whole blood, and interferon (IFN)-γ released into the culture supernatant was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. IFN-γ production in blood from vaccinated subjects markedly increased in response to the vaccine and decreased before the antibody titer decreased in some cases, suggesting that this assay may be used as a simple surrogate method for measuring CMI specific for the mumps virus.