A team of cell biologists, toxicologists and molecular bioscientists at UC Davis has connected thimerosal with disruptions in antigen-presenting cells, known as dendritic cells, obtained from mice. The findings provide the first evidence that dendritic cells show unprecedented sensitivity to thimerosal, resulting in fundamental changes in the immune system's ability to respond to external factors. The study, led by Isaac Pessah, director of the Children's Center for Environmental Health and Disease Prevention, was published in Environmental Health Perspectives.