IFNG and infection: 48 h after infection, at which time splenic NK cell activation peaked upon VV infection as shown previously [16], splenic NK cells from WT mice produced significantly (p <0.001) higher amounts of effector molecules such as IFN-γ and granzyme B, compared to the uninfected naïve control (Figure 2B, C), indicating that these NK cells are activated upon VV infection in vivo.