Innate memory to bacterial infection

The role of ILCs was evaluated using FACS sorting, cytokine production and surface markers analysis, cell depletion, heat killed bacterial immunisation and bacterial infection.<br><br>This study hypothesised that following immunisation mice would be able to restrain bacterial growth and aimed to investigate the magnitude and longevity and specificity of the response.

Depletion of CD90+ cells resulted in the inability of mice to control bacterial infection whereas depletion of NK cells did not affect the control of bacterial infection. The burden of P. aeruginosa in mice immunised with heat killed P. aeruginosa and infected with live bacteria 10 days post immunisation was significantly lower on mice that received the immunisation showing a positive effect of vaccination. <br><br>The inability to control the bacterial infection was also observed in mice lacking ILCs; however, mice with ILCs also failed to completely clear the infection suggesting that ILCs alone are not able to maintain the protective response.