title: A new vision of immunity: homeostasis of the superorganism.
abstract: The immune system is commonly perceived as an army of organs, tissues, cells, and molecules that protect from disease by eliminating pathogens. However, as in human society, a clear definition of good and evil might be sometimes difficult to achieve. Not only do we live in contact with a multitude of microbes, but we also live with billions of symbionts that span all the shades from mutualists to potential killers. Together, we compose a superorganism that is capable of optimal living. In that context, the immune system is not a killer, but rather a force that shapes homeostasis within the superorganism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. gerard.eberl@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eberl
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000276:immunology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D054892:Metagenome; D013559:Symbiosis / Q000276:immunology*; D013598:Systems Theory