'Dirty' wild mice may be more relevant immunology model
Thursday, September 8, 2011 - 04:30
in Biology & Nature
Like humans, mice that live in their natural habitat encounter bacteria and other pathogens that exercise their immune system, yet the lab mice typically used in immunology studies are raised in isolation from most diseases. A study on natural killer cells in wild mice published this week in Molecular Ecology 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. The findings suggest that the traditional lab mouse research model neglects environmental factors that are needed to fully represent the immune system of mice and humans.