Cattle immune cells could help treat disease

Description

Study defines cells in cattle, in a development that could help tackle infection in cows and people. MAIT cells play a role in protecting cattle against bacterial infections, the study showed. Immune cells newly identified in cattle could help investigate and treat livestock and human diseases, a study involving scientists from the Roslin Institute suggests. A type of immune cell found in cattle – called mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) – is very similar to the equivalent cells in humans, where they are known to tackle bacterial and viral infections and play a role in wound healing and vaccine response, scientists have found. Cattle MAIT cells are stimulated by similar biological signals to their human counterparts and play a role in fighting bacterial infections, the study has shown. Data and tools used in this research will facilitate immunisation and infection studies in cattle, which can be used as models for human infections spread from animals, such as tuberculosis.