Protective immune studies against fungi

Abstract

The immune system is the host's defence against different agents and infections. Understanding the complex and highly dynamic interactions between fungi and host cells in a tissue-specific manner is crucial to facilitate the development of new therapeutic approaches to infections. Generally fungal pathogens rarely cause diseases in immunologically competent individuals. However, commensal and non-pathogenic environmental fungi can cause life-threatening infections in individuals with immune deficiency. Understanding the molecular and cellular bases of immunity to fungi has progressed significantly over the past few years. Despite close interactions with fungi today, how the immune system protects humans and animals from fungal pathogens has not been fully elucidated compared to the immune response to bacteria or viruses. The immune system is the host's defence against various foreign proteins and infections. Understanding the complex and highly dynamic interactions between fungi and host cells is crucial for the development of new therapeutic approaches to infections. Researchers from 15 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia, North and South America have provided the last five years review and original research articles that consist of a wide range of fungal pathogens, disease, effector, regulatory cells and molecular pathways of host immune responses to fungal exposure. In this review, we summarize an outline of the recent findings, perspectives, and reviews about the complex and highly dynamic interactions between fungi and host cells and a contemporary understanding of protective immunity against fungi. This review will allow an overview of the most exciting recent advances in antifungal immunity, discoveries that will help pave the way for the development of new strategies that are seriously needed to combat these devastating diseases.