Cellular immune response in Pneumocystis carinii infection.
Pneumocystis carinii is an important pulmonary pathogen causing disease in immunocompromised individuals. The majority o f conditions predisposing to Pneumocystis pneumonia are associated with profound defects in cellular immunity. Although our understanding o f the host response to the organism is still limited, advances in antigen preparation and the availability o f animal models have permitted an improved understanding of some aspects o f the cell-mediated immune response to Pneumocystis. In this review, George Smulian and Sue Theus will highlight recent advances in our knowledge regarding the role of macrophages, T cells and cytokines in the response to the organism.
Infectious Disease Division of the Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 231 Bethesda Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0560, USA.
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Smulian
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Theus