We first confirmed that pDC numbers remained at homeostatic levels in BALB/c mice throughout the early phase of MCMV infection, while a severe ablation of cDCs occurred for both the CD11b and CD8a subsets ( Figure 2 ). In contrast, in the presence of an efficient NK cell response, in Klra8 mice, both the cDC and pDC compartments were preserved, consistent with the previous observations reported in C57BL/6 animals [36] .