If a researcher introduces a novel antigen into a mouse already infected with a chronic viral infection, which consequence affecting the adaptive immune response is most likely?

💡 Explanation

Immune exhaustion markers increase when chronic antigen stimulation overwhelms the T-cells, leading to reduced effector function; because the mouse already has a chronic viral infection, introducing a novel antigen would further drive immune exhaustion. Therefore, increased expression of exhaustion markers is expected, rather than enhanced activation, class switching, or regulatory T-cell proliferation, which might occur in controlled immune responses.

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