Abstract
Treating mice with a neutralizing rat monoclonal antibody (mAb) against murine interferon-γ (IFN-γ) prevented them from controlling an otherwise sublethal Listeria infection initiated via an extravascular route, but not via an intravenous route. In mice inoculated extravascularly, anti-IFN-γ mAb treatment caused rapid uncontrolled growth of Listeria at the site of inoculation, and the continuous systemic dissemination of large numbers of bacteria to the liver and spleen. The infection-enhancing effects of anti-IFN-γ treatment in mice infected intravenously was seen as an increase in the number of bacteria in the liver and spleen, but in subsequent control and eventual resolution of infection beginning 5 days after inoculation. The results serve to show that the exacerbating effect of anti-IFN-γ treatment on murine listeriosis is greater for infections initiated at extravascular sites.
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