KIT and infection: Abnormalities associated with the c-kit mutation and/or mouse backgrounds may have influenced the infection outcomes in some of these studies, but, in others, more than one strain of mast cell-deficient mice, including c-kit-dependent and c-kit-independent mast cell-deficient, were used, strengthening the evidence that mast cells can contribute to dysregulated responses against pathogens that lead to increased morbidity and mortality.