Splenic red pulp macrophages eliminate the liver-resistant

Authors: Haoran An, Yijia Huang, Zhifeng Zhao, Kunpeng Li, Jingjing Meng, Xueting Huang, Xianbin Tian, Hongyu Zhou, Jiamin Wu, Qionghai Dai, Jing-Ren Zhang

Published: 2025-03-12

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq6399

Source: Full article


Abstract

Invasive infections by encapsulated bacteria are the major cause of human morbidity and mortality. The liver resident macrophages, Kupffer cells, form the hepatic firewall to clear many encapsulated bacteria in the blood circulation but fail to control certain high-virulence capsule types. Here we report that the spleen is the backup immune organ to clear the liver-resistant serotypes of