TABLE 4.

Mean ΔC_T and mean slope, of cytokine gene expression in AILC and EILC of sheep during experimental infection with T. colubriformis^a

Cytokine	Value in AILC (n = 8)		Value in EILC (n = 10)
	Mean ΔCT ± SE	Mean slope ± SE	Mean ΔCT ± SE	Mean slope ± SE
IL-5	14.0 ± 1.20	−0.01 ± 0.032	16.1 ± 1.07	−0.03 ± 0.029
IL-13	11.0 ± 1.02	−0.06 ± 0.042	10.8 ± 0.91	−0.08 ± 0.037
TNF-α	7.1 ± 0.54	0.10 ± 0.024	8.1 ± 0.49	0.01 ± 0.022
IL-10	9.2 ± 0.60b	0.09 ± 0.026c	11.3 ± 0.50	−0.06 ± 0.022d
IFN-γ	9.3 ± 0.84	0.04 ± 0.022	9.1 ± 0.75	−0.05 ± 0.020d
IL-4	9.9 ± 0.40b	0.02 ± 0.021	11.4 ± 0.35	0.02 ± 0.019

^aFor each animal samples were collected daily over a period of 18 to 21 days. The genotype and the prechallenge status of the animals were not taken into consideration. ΔC_T represents the difference in threshold cycles for the target and housekeeping genes. Therefore, low ΔC_T values represent high gene expression levels, and high ΔC_T values represent low gene expression levels.

^bSignificantly (P < 0.05 for IL-4; P < 0.01 for IL10) higher expression in AILC than in EILC during T. colubriformis infection.

^cSignificant (P < 0.01) trend for down-regulation of the IL-10-gene in AILC during infection with T. colubriformis.

^dSignificant trend for IFN-γ (P < 0.05) and IL-10 (P < 0.01) gene up-regulation in EILC but not AILC during infection with T. colubriformis.