biophysics
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I've learned about memory B and T cells. I'm wondering how many of each a person has for a specific antigen? How long do they live?
In this study, we demonstrate that smallpox vaccine-specific memory B cells last for >50 years in immunized individuals. Virus-specific memory B cells initially declined postimmunization, but then reached a plateau 10-fold lower than peak and were stably maintained for >50 years after vaccination at a frequency of 0.1% of total circulating IgG+ B cells. These persisting memory B cells were functional and able to mount a robust anamnestic Ab response upon revaccination.