Taken together, these results reveal that, in the mouse liver; (1) TLR2 and TLR4 are not required to control infection or clearance; (2) the absence of TLR4 reduces accumulation of Brucella in the liver, but has little effect on late stage clearance; (3) MyD88 is critical in early control and late clearance of the organism. This evidence concerns the gene TLR4 and infection.