CD163 and infection: Since CD163 molecule has important biological functions including participating in the initiation and perpetuation of the inflammatory responses and mediating the removal of hemoglobin from blood plasma upon intravascular hemolysis, and soluble CD163 is capable of limiting T cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (Hogger and Sorg, 2001; Frings et al., 2002), the complete knockout of it may have key physiological effects on animal development and growth as well as the susceptibility to infection with other pathogens.