MIC Graduate Student Erica Buonomo in the William Petri Lab leads discovery on C. difficile infection and immune response

Erica Buonomo and researchers in the Petri lab found an important and unexpected role for eosinophils, a type of white blood cell. These cells are often vilified for their role in causing both allergies and asthma, but in the battle against C. difficile, they can be life-saving. IL-25, the UVA researchers show, protects us from C. difficile by manufacturing eosinophils to guard the integrity of the gut lining. [more]. Scientific article