LA JOLLA — Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology published a 2026 study showing that T cells from individuals vaccinated against measles can cross-react with Nipah virus due to shared epitopes in the viral fusion, or 'F,' protein. The research, published in Cell Reports Medicine, is the first to map human CD4+ T cell epitopes for both Nipah and measles viruses, which belong to the paramyxovirus family.
The study analyzed blood samples from 31 participants who had received the MMR vaccine but had never been infected with Nipah virus. Researchers found that measles-vaccinated individuals possessed T cells that recognized conserved epitopes shared between the two viruses. Alison Tarke, Ph.D., led experiments to map T cell epitopes on measles virus, revealing previously unknown details about the T-cell response induced by the measles vaccine.
"Even though measles has been studied for quite some time, and there is a vaccine for measles, there was not a lot known about the specific T-cell response elicited by the measles vaccine," said Alessandro Sette, Dr.Biol.Sci., LJI Professor and study leader. "It appears that if someone is vaccinated against measles, their T cells will have some degree of cross-reactivity to Nipah." He added, "That raises the possibility that during a Nipah outbreak, one could perhaps vaccinate people with a measles vaccine, and this cross-reactivity could potentially offer some benefit."
"Activating T cells can be your first line of defense when you don't know what's going to be thrown at you," said Alba Grifoni, Ph.D., LJI Research Assistant Professor and study co-leader. She also said, "Outbreaks are becoming more and more frequent, especially in the Malaysian region." Nipah virus is spread by bats and has a fatality rate between 40% and 75%.
The research builds on prior work by Sette, Grifoni, and colleagues showing cross-reactive T cells can recognize similarities across different virus families, including coronaviruses and arenaviruses. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.