A 19-year-old college student developed sore throat, palatal petechiae, splenomegaly, fever, and generalized lymphadenopathy after she began dating her first serious boyfriend. The symptoms were self-limiting and lasted approximately two-three weeks. Upon presentation at the campus health clinic, a blood sample tests positive for heterophil antibodies and she is diagnosed with symptomatic primary Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Which of the following innate immune cell types plays a direct and important role in controlling the early stages of the systemic response to EBV infection?
(A) Eosinophils
(B) Mast cells
© Megakaryocytes
(D) Microglia
(E) Natural killer cells
(F) Plasma cells
(G) Regulatory T lymphocytes