Since IL-2 is strictly regulated on the transcriptional level [31] and because it occupies a pivotal role in the regulation of the immune response and due to the fact that IL-2 deficient mice show a similar phenotype to cattle with MCF, i.e. accumulation of lymphocytes in the intestine and ulcerative colitis [32], [33], we suggest that its low abundance in the context of inflammation and T-cell activation may represent a key feature of MCF. Here, IL2 is linked to ulcerative colitis.