Immune Response to Coccidioidomycosis and the Development of a Vaccine

Date

2017-03-16

Authors

Castro-Lopez, Natalia
Hung, Chiung-Yu

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Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection caused by Coccidioides posadasii and Coccidioides immitis. It is estimated that 150,000 new infections occur in the United States each year. The incidence of this infection continues to rise in endemic regions. There is an urgent need for the development of better therapeutic drugs and a vaccine against coccidioidomycosis. This review discusses the features of host innate and adaptive immune responses to Coccidioides infection. The focus is on the recent advances in the immune response and host-pathogen interactions, including the recognition of spherules by the host and defining the signal pathways that guide the development of the adaptive T-cell response to Coccidioides infection. Also discussed is an update on progress in developing a vaccine against these fungal pathogens.

Description

Keywords

Coccidioides, San Joaquin Valley fever, coccidioidomycosis, fungal infection, innate immunity, Coccidioides vaccine, T-cell response

Citation

Microorganisms 5 (1): 13 (2017)

Department

Molecular Microbiology and Immunology