Mucosal lymphoid cells key to S. pneumoniae defence

Type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) in the lung mucosa are activated early in the course of infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae and are a major source of interleukin (IL)-22 production, research reveals. The findings suggest that “boosting lung ILC3 might represent an interesting strategy to fight respiratory bacterial infections”, say the study authors writing in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. ILC3 is prevalent at mucosal sites and is known to be a key player in antimicrobial defence in the intestines, through the production of IL-22 and IL-17. To investigate the role of ILC3 in the respiratory tract, Jean-Claude Sirard (Institut Pasteur de Lille, France) and co-workers performed a series of experiments in mice that were inoculated with S. pneumoniae serotype 1. The research showed that lung tissue from healthy mice produced IL-22 and IL-17 in response to IL-23 stimulation and that this effect was enhanced in lungs that had been inoculated with S. pneumoniae. Further...