'Dirty' wild mice may be more relevant immunology model

Wednesday, September 7, 2011 - 20:30 in Biology & Nature

Like humans, mice that live in their natural habitat encounter bacteria and other pathogens that exercise their immune system, yet lab mice typically used in immunology studies are raised in isolation from most diseases. A study on natural killer cells in wild mice examines the hypothesis that the unsterile living conditions faced by humans and wild mice may improve the readiness of the immune system to fight new infections.

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