Gamma interferon and fungal infections
In the first half of the 20th century, fungal infections were considered exotic diseases. This article in the Society for General Microbiology magazine Microbiology Today shows how this has changed and where interferon fits in.
Neutrophils, macrophages and dendritic cells are the first effector cells contacting fungal cells. Neutrophils are rapidly recruited to the site of infection and play an essential role in fungal killing. The presence of fungal cells and host effector cells initiates a cascade of events through both non-specific and specific mechanisms of host response. Lymphocytes T helper 1 (Th1), a CD4+ subset, are the predominant response to infections by invasive fungi, and cytokines associated with the Th1 phenotype, including interleukin (IL)-12, IL-8 and IFN-gamma, are critical to protective responses to the infection. Conversely the Th2-phenotype cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 contribute to the progression of the infection. Effector mechanisms of IFN-gamma and its role in modulating the host response against fungi include stimulation of macrophage and neutrophil killing of fungi by enhancement of both oxidative and non-oxidative mechanisms.
Tags: Biology, Fungi, Health, Immunology, Medicine, Microbiology, Mycology, Science
