title: Immune Interactions with Pathogenic and Commensal Fungi: A Two-Way Street.
abstract: We are exposed to a wide spectrum of fungi including innocuous environmental organisms, opportunistic pathogens, commensal organisms, and fungi that can actively and explicitly cause disease. Much less is understood about effective host immunity to fungi than is generally known about immunity to bacterial and viral pathogens. Innate and adaptive arms of the immune system are required for effective host defense against Candida, Aspergillus, Cryptococcus, and others, with specific elements of the host response regulating specific types of fungal infections (e.g., mucocutaneous versus systemic). Here we will review themes and controversies that are currently shaping investigation of antifungal immunity (primarily to Candida and Aspergillus) and will also examine the emerging field of the role of fungi in the gut microbiome.
authors.affiliation: F. Widjaja Foundation Inflammatory Bowel & Immunobiology Research Institute, and the Division of Immunology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA. Electronic address: david.underhill@csmc.edu.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Underhill
authors.affiliation: Institute for Immunology, and the Departments of Ophthalmology, and Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. Electronic address: eric.pearlman@uci.edu.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pearlman
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D005658:Fungi / Q000276:immunology*; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000276:immunology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology*