Clinical Immunology, 6e - Chapter 28: Host Defenses to Fungi

Human pathogenic fungi have emerged as significant causes of mortality in patients with acquired immunodeficiency conditions such as HIV/AIDS and receipt of myeloablative and targeted immunosuppressive treatments for autoimmunity, malignancy, and transplantation. The recent explosion in the characterization of novel primary immunodeficiency disorders that predispose to mucosal and/or invasive fungal infections and the development of clinically relevant animal models of mucosal and invasive fungal disease have collectively catalyzed our understanding of tissue-, cell-, and fungus-specific recognition, effector pathways, and adaptive immune responses. This chapter synthesizes a current understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of mammalian antifungal immunity, which shows promise for guiding immunotherapy and vaccination strategies for at-risk patients.