| First Author | Murray HW | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | Infect Immun | Volume | 76 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | 4088-91 |
| PubMed ID | 18573898 | Mgi Jnum | J:138894 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3806766 | Doi | 10.1128/IAI.00490-08 |
| Citation | Murray HW (2008) Accelerated control of visceral Leishmania donovani infection in interleukin-6-deficient mice. Infect Immun 76(9):4088-91 |
| abstractText | In patients with visceral leishmaniasis, increased levels of circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) regularly accompany fully expressed, progressive infections (kala-azar). To experimentally test the role of IL-6, responses to an intracellular Leishmania donovani infection in the livers of IL-6(-/-) and wild-type mice were compared. IL-6(-/-) mice showed an enhanced control of the infection and earlier, rapid parasite killing along with additional evidence of a stimulated antileishmanial Th1-cell-type response: increased levels of circulating gamma interferon, accelerated granuloma assembly, and heightened responsiveness to chemotherapy. In this model of visceral leishmaniasis, IL-6 appears to act in a suppressive, macrophage-deactivating fashion, which identifies it as a potential target for therapeutic blockade. |
