A Type I Interferon and IL-10 Induced by Infection Suppresses Antigen-Specific T Cells and Their Memory Responses.

Despite the various roles of type I interferon (type I IFN) responses during bacterial infection, its specific effects have been poorly characterized in scrub typhus caused by infection. Here, we show that type I IFNs are primarily induced via intracellular nucleic acids sensors, including RIG-I/MAVS and cGAS/STING pathways, during invasion. However, type I IFN signaling did not significantly affect pathogenesis, mortality, or bacterial burden during primary infection , when assessed in a mice model lacking a receptor for type I IFNs (IFNAR KO).