Innate Antifungal Immunity: The Key Role of Phagocytes
Year: 2011
Type: review
Abstract: Fungal diseases have emerged as significant causes of morbidity and mortality, particularly in immune-compromised individuals, prompting greater interest in understanding the mechanisms of host resistance to these pathogens. Consequently, the past few decades have seen a tremendous increase in our knowledge of the innate and adaptive components underlying the protective (and nonprotective) mechanisms of antifungal immunity. What has emerged from these studies is that phagocytic cells are essential for protection and that defects in these cells compromise the host's ability to resist fungal infection. This review covers the functions of phagocytes in innate antifungal immunity, along with selected examples of the strategies that are used by fungal pathogens to subvert these defenses.
Source: Annual Review of Immunology
Author: Gordon D. Brown
Institution: University of Aberdeen
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Wellcome Trust
OpenAlex ID: W2166909888