Kidney-resident innate-like memory & gamma;& delta; T cells control chronic Staphylococcus aureus infection of mice

& gamma;& delta; T cells are involved in the control of Staphylococcus aureus infection, but their importance in protection compared to other T cells is unclear. We used a mouse model of systemic S. aureus infection associated with high bacterial load and persistence in the kidney. Infection caused fulminant accumulation of & gamma;& delta; T cells in the kidney. Renal & gamma;& delta; T cells acquired tissue residency and were maintained in high numbers during chronic infection. At day 7, up to 50% of renal & gamma;& delta; T cells produced IL-17A in situ and a large fraction of renal & gamma;& delta; T cells remained IL-17A+ during chronic infection. Controlled depletion revealed that & gamma;& delta; T cells restricted renal S. aureus replication in the acute infection and provided protection during chronic renal infection and upon reinfection. Our results demonstrate that kidney-resident & gamma;& delta; T cells are nonredundant in limiting local S. aureus growth during chronic infection and provide enhanced protection against reinfection.