Figure 8.

Adoptive transfer of γδ intestinal intraepithelial T lymphocytes (IEL) or injection of recombinant interleukin-13 (rIL-13) reduces the reproductive success of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis in T-cell receptor-δ-deficient (TCR-δ^−/−) mice. TCR-δ^−/− mice received daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 10 μg of rIL-13 from 4 days post-infection (p.i.) to 10 days p.i. or single i.p. transfer of donor γδ IEL (3 × 10⁶) isolated from the small intestine of wild-type (WT) mice. (a) The number of N. brasiliensis eggs produced in the faeces of treated or untreated TCR-δ^−/− mice was at 6 and 10 days p.i. Values represent the mean + SEM of five mice per each group. *P< 0·01, **P< 0·001. (b) Haematoxylin & eosin, periodic acid Schiff/Alcian blue staining and immunohistochemistry for MUC2 of small intestine of TCR-δ^−/− mice that received rIL-13 or adoptive transfer of γδ IEL, samples taken at 10 days p.i.