Therefore, in order to separate the possible influence of IL-17 deficiency during the primary infection from the role of IL-17 in clearance of infection from convalescent mice, we used an anti-IL-17 antibody that we had previously shown to neutralize IL-17 in vivo in an IL-17-mediated autoimmune disease model.47 We examined the effect of blocking IL-17 on the course of re-infection with B. pertussis by administering the anti-IL-17 antibody the day before and every 3 days after B. pertussis challenge of convalescent WT mice. This evidence concerns the gene IL17A and autoimmune disease.