Research progress in immunological mechanisms of Cryptococcus

Abstract

Whether infection of Cryptococcus causes disease in host or not depends on the virulence of the pathogen and the immune defense ability of the host. Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) mainly causes opportunistic infections in the immunocompromised or immunodeficient patients. In contrast, Cryptococcus gattii (C. gattii) mainly attacks the immunocompetent individuals. On the one hand, the host immune cells can eliminate the invasive Cryptococcus through a complex immune mechanism; on the other hand, Cryptococcus can evade the clearance of host immune cells by adopting various strategies (immune escape). This review mainly focuses on the pathogenic mechanism of Cryptococcus, and the host’s immune defense mechanism against cryptococcal infection.