Short report: Requirement of B cells for delayed type hypersensitivity-like pathology after secondary infection with Leishmania major in resistant C57BL/6 mice

Abstract

B cell-deficient C57B1/6 (μMT) mice were resistant to Leishmania major after both primary and secondary parasite challenge. However, unlike in wild-type mice, secondary infection in μMT mice was not accompanied by a marked delayed type hypersensitivity-like response, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels were approximately half of those in wild-type mice. These results suggest that B cells are involved in IFN-γ production and the pathology of secondary infection.