Abstract: Invasive fungal infections represent a major threat to critically ill and immunocompromised patients and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Aspergillus, Candida, and Cryptococcus are opportunistic fungi that cause the majority of these life-threatening infections. Innate immune cells phagocytose fungal pathogens and trigger signal transduction events that coordinate elimination of the pathogenic organism and activate the adaptive immune system. Understanding the host defense mechanisms to fungal pathogens provides important insights into how and why fungi cause disease in immunocompromised individuals. Ultimately, discovery and implementation of novel diagnostic tools and antifungal therapies are crucial to mitigating this significant clinical problem. This chapter outlines the innate and adaptive immune response to clinically relevant fungal organisms.
Publication Year: 2019
Publication Date: 2019-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 13
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