ESAT-6 Peptide Recognition by Bovine CD8 + Lymphocytes of Naturally Infected Cows in Herds from Southern Italy

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to define epitopes of Mycobacterium bovis from ESAT-6 (early secretory antigen of 6 kDa) recognized by CD8 + T lymphocytes from cows naturally infected with Mycobacterium bovis . We found that bovine CD8 + T cells recognized 10 out of 11 ESAT-6 peptides tested.