Figure 2.

Interferon (IFN)-β and IFNAR signaling are dispensable for the control of primary infection with Leishmania major in C57BL/6 mice. (A) Development of footpad lesions in C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) vs. IFN-β^−/− vs. IFNAR1^−/− mice after infection with 3 × 10⁶ stationary phase L. major promastigotes into both hind footpads. The mean (±SEM) of the relative footpad thickness increase of 4 independent experiments with 9–12 mice per group is shown. (B) Parasite burden in the footpads, draining lymph nodes, and the spleens of C57BL/6 WT vs. IFN-β^−/− vs. IFNAR1^−/− mice. At the indicated time-points, three mice per group were analyzed for their parasite load in different organs by limiting dilution assays. The mean results (±SEM) of one representative out of four independent experiments (A) are presented. n.d., Not detectable.