Interestingly, during the first 2 weeks post-infection, there was no significant change in the hepatic EBI3 mRNA transcript level of the infected mice compared with the NS group; however, the hepatic EBI3 mRNA transcript level of infected mice decreased significantly at week 4, following which time it gradually increased, reaching significantly higher levels than in the NS group at week 16 (Fig. 2c). Here, EBI3 is linked to infection.