Salmonella Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Salmonella, including details on salmonella typhimurium, food poisoning, infection, treatment. | ||||||||
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A role for natural killer cells in intestinal inflammation caused by infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.Harrington L, Srikanth CV, Antony R, Shi HN, Cherayil BJ Mucosal Immunology Laboratory, Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. Acute gastroenteritis caused by Salmonella infection is a significant public health problem. Using a mouse model of this condition, the authors demonstrated previously that the cytokine gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) is required for a normal intestinal inflammatory response to the pathogen. In the present study, these experiments are extended to show that natural killer (NK) cells constitute an early source of intestinal IFN-gamma during Salmonella infection, and that these cells have a significant impact on intestinal inflammation. It was found that infection of mice with Salmonella increased both intestinal IFN-gamma production and the numbers of NK cells in the intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes. NK cells, along with other types of lymphocytes, produced IFN-gamma in response to the bacteria in vitro, while antibody-mediated depletion of NK cells in vivo resulted in a significant reduction in Salmonella-induced intestinal IFN-gamma expression. In a mouse strain lacking NK cells and T and B lymphocytes, intestinal production of IFN-gamma and Salmonella-induced intestinal inflammation were both significantly decreased compared with a strain deficient only in T and B cells. The authors' observations point to an important function for NK cells and NK-derived IFN-gamma in regulating the intestinal inflammatory response to Salmonella. Published 9 October 2007 in FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 51(2): 372-80.
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