Discovery of an innate immunological memory in the intestine

The innate immune system plays a crucial role in regulating host-microbe interactions, and especially in providing protection against pathogens that invade the mucosa. Using an intestinal infection model, scientists discovered that innate effector cells -- group 3 innate lymphoid cells -- act not only during the early stages of infection but can also be trained to develop an innate form of immunological memory that can protect the host during reinfection.