Mice with asthma are more resistant to influenza virus infection and NK cells activated by the induction of asthma have potentially protective effects.

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to investigate whether the virulence of the influenza virus infection is affected by asthma in mice.

Methods: Mice with asthma or control mice were infected with influenza virus. The survival rate, body weight, virus titer, cytokine profile, and cell infiltration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured.

IFN-γ production downstream of NKT cell activation in mice infected with influenza virus enhances the cytolytic activities of both NK cells and viral antigen-specific CD8+ T cells.

Natural killer T (NKT) cell activation is responsible for eliminating pathogens. However, the biological functions of NKT cells against influenza virus are not fully understood. We therefore investigated the effects of NKT cells in viral infection using CD1d knockout (KO) mice.

The performance of the BD geneOhm MRSA™ assay for MRSA isolated from clinical patients in Japan, including the effects of specimen contamination and ways to improve it.

The BD geneOhm MRSA™ assay has been increasingly used in recent years, and it is possible to use it to screen and detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from a specimen within 2 h. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the performance, i.e.

Oral administration of heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum strain b240 protected mice against Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum strain b240 (b240) on systemic infection by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) and to determine the mechanism by which b240 protects against infection. Mice were administered either b240 or saline orally for 3 weeks, and then inoculated with S.