Role of interleukin-6 in the control of acute and chronic Giardia lamblia infections in mice

In this study, we investigated the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in Giardia lamblia infections in mice. Elevated IL-6 expression was found in wild-type mice 15 days postinfection. Furthermore, IL-6-deficient mice controlled infections only slowly although normal immunoglobullin A production was observed. Thus, IL-6 is necessary for early control of acute G. lamblia infections.