Immune Response to Rewilding in C57BL/6 Mice

Abstract

White blood cells function to protect the body against infection and disease, and include neutrophils, lymphocytes, eosinophils, monocytes, and basophils. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker for the general immune response to various stress stimuli. The aim of this research project was to study NLRs and immune response in laboratory mice that were kept in a more natural environment where they would inevitably encounter more immune challenges. During the summer of 2019, C57BL/6 mice were ‘rewilded’ or released outdoors at the Stony Ford Research Station near Princeton University, while some remained in a laboratory at New York University. I wondered, what would be the difference in immune response between mice released at Stony Ford and mice that stayed in lab in NYU, and would there be location or genotype effects? Blood smears were collected from the mice in different locations and at various time points. White blood cell differential counts were conducted, and the data were then analyzed to discern the effect that rewilding, location, and genotype had on NLRs as a proxy for immune response.