Coordinated Expression of Tracheal Antimicrobial Peptide and Inflammatory-Response Elements in the Lungs of Neonatal Calves with Acute Bacterial Pneumonia

Lung tissue removed from neonatal calves with acute Mannheimia haemolytica pneumonia showed that rapid up-regulation of the basal mRNA expression of tracheal antimicrobial peptide (TAP), NF-κB, and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 occurred after infection; TAP and interleukin 8 expression were highly correlated. This work suggests that the coordinated expression of β-defensin and inflammatory elements occurs during bacterial pneumonia.