Inter-relationship among macrophages, natural killer cells and neutrophils in early stages of Listeria resistance.

Reports in the past few years have shown the involvement of different cells and cytokines in controlling the infection with the intracellular facultative pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. A synergistic interaction of T-cell-independent and -dependent processes takes place but the nature of these interactions and of the relevant cells and cytokines depends on both the stage of the infection and the tissue that is involved.