Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ross EA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3912538 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Ross Ewan A EA Coughlan Ruth E RE Flores-Langarica Adriana A Lax Sian S Nicholson Julia J Desanti Guillaume E GE Marshall Jennifer L JL Bobat Saeeda S Hitchcock Jessica J White Andrea A Jenkinson William E WE Khan Mahmood M Henderson Ian R IR Lavery Gareth G GG Buckley Christopher D CD Anderson Graham G Cunningham Adam F AF
Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 20120919 9
Thymic atrophy is a frequent consequence of infection with bacteria, viruses, and parasites and is considered a common virulence trait between pathogens. Multiple reasons have been proposed to explain this atrophy, including premature egress of immature thymocytes, increased apoptosis, or thymic shutdown to prevent tolerance to the pathogen from developing. The severe loss in thymic cell number can reflect an equally dramatic reduction in thymic output, potentially reducing peripheral T cell num ...[more]