The early role of natural killer cells and gamma delta T cells in the development of protective immunity to the blood stage of nonlethal Plasmodium yoelii infection was studied. Splenic cytokine levels were measured 24 h after infection of natural killer cell-depleted immunodeficient and littermate mice or transiently T-cell-depleted normal mice. Splenic gamma interferon levels were significant...

OBJECTIVES To compare the effectiveness of cranberry extract with low-dose trimethoprim in the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in older women. PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred and thirty-seven women with two or more antibiotic-treated UTIs in the previous 12 months were randomized to receive either 500 mg of cranberry extract or 100 mg of trimethoprim for 6 months. R...

successful clearance of hepatitis b virus (hbv) is a promising event in which host's immune system will attempt to get rid of the virus. the immunological events of hbsag seroclearance have attracted great attention in both natural history investigations and therapeutic trials. recent genome-wide association studies (gwas) has confirmed polymorphisms in the human leukocyte antigen (hla)-dp locu...

Since Robert Koch described the cause of tuberculosis in 1882, the natural history of the disease after primary infection has been subject to debate. Only approximately 10% of infected individuals develop active disease, which may appear years to decades after infection. Late onset has been attributed to the endogenous reactivation of dormant bacteria. However, this has not been documented by m...

Serratia marcescens is a common pathogenic bacterium that can cause infections in both humans and animals. It can cause a range of diseases, from slight wound infections to life-threatening bacteraemia and pneumonia. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance has limited the treatment of the diseases caused by the bacterium to a great extent. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop nove...

In striking contrast to HIV infection, natural SIV infection of African nonhuman primates is asymptomatic and usually does not induce significant CD4+ T cell depletion despite high levels of virus replication. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms underlying the remarkable difference in infection outcome between natural and nonnatural HIV/SIV hosts. These ...

Normal adult Wistar rats (non-carrier stock) are readily infected with Bartonella muris and develop a severe anemia if large amounts of infecting material are used. The normal adult rat of Wistar stock possesses a relatively high natural resistance to spontaneous infection with this organism. Bilateral suprarenalectomy in Wistar rats lowers the natural resistance to a subsequent infection with ...

The interaction between natural killer (NK) cells and different other immune cells like T cells and dendritic cells is well-described, but the crosstalk with monocytes or macrophages and the nature of ligands/receptors implicated are just emerging. The macrophage-NK interaction is a major first-line defense against pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites). The recruitment and the act...