Similar to the results described for the spleen, systemic spread of the organism to the liver is delayed in TLR4 −/− and MyD88 −/− mice, and is associated with a corresponding delay in the clearance of infection. Here again, TLR2 −/− mice are indistinguishable from control mice in the ability to restrict systemic infection (Figures 2 and 3) . As observed in the spleen, the capacity to control infection is most dramatically affected in the MyD88 −/− mice (Figure 3 , panels W1-10). From week 2 and onward, TLR2 −/− and TLR4 −/− mice controlled infection and cleared the organisms from the livers indistinguishably from the C57BL/6 mice (Figure 3, panel W10 ). Taken together, these results reveal that, in the mouse liver; (1) TLR2 and TLR4 are not required to control infection or clearance;