A significant difference in total monocytes, characterized as Ly6G−/CD11b+/F4/80−/Ly6C+, and dendritic cells (Ly6G−/CD11b+/CD11c+/MHC-II+) was detected early during infection (between 3–6 dpi) that was dependent on parasite load (Fig 4D and E). This evidence concerns the gene ITGAM and infection.