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. 1995 Sep;63(9):3711–3714. doi: 10.1128/iai.63.9.3711-3714.1995

Cytotoxic effects of natural killer cells have no significant role in controlling infection with the intracellular protozoon Eimeria vermiformis.

M E Rose 1, P Hesketh 1, D Wakelin 1
PMCID: PMC173515  PMID: 7642311

Abstract

The course of infection with Eimeria vermiformis in C57BL/6J; NK cell-defective C57BL/6J bg/bg; BALB/c; T-cell-defective BALB/c nu/nu; and T-cell-, B-cell-, and NK cell-defective BALB/c x C57BL/6 scid/scid bg/bg mice was monitored. For young C57BL/6J mice, the bg/bg mutants consistently produced fewer oocysts than the controls; there were no differences between older mice of these strains. Wild-type BALB/c mice were more resistant to infection than the nu/nu and scid/scid bg/bg mutants, but there was no difference between the mutants. Treatment of BALB/c mice with poly(I.C) had no effect on the course of infection. These findings confirm the ineffectiveness of NK cells in this system.

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Selected References

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