TFRC and infection: Depletion of CECs in neonatal mice renders them more resistant to infections by Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and B. pertussis, indicating the protective effects against neonatal infectious diseases (167, 168); however, ablation of CD71+ cells failed to modify neonatal mortality in either a model of endotoxin challenge or a model of polymicrobial sepsis (173).