Immune Modulation as Adjunctive Therapy for Pneumocystis pneumonia
Pneumocystis is an opportunistic fungal respiratory pathogen that causes life-threatening pneumonia (Pcp) in patients suffering from defects in cell-mediated immunity, including those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and immunosuppression secondary to chemotherapy or organ transplantat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2011-01-01
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| Series: | Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/918038 |
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| author | Jing Wang Terry W. Wright Francis Gigliotti |
| author_facet | Jing Wang Terry W. Wright Francis Gigliotti |
| author_sort | Jing Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pneumocystis is an opportunistic fungal respiratory pathogen that causes life-threatening pneumonia (Pcp) in patients suffering from defects in cell-mediated immunity, including those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and immunosuppression secondary to chemotherapy or organ transplantation. Despite major advances in health care, the mortality associated with Pcp has changed little over the past 25 years. Pcp remains a leading cause of death among HIV infected patients, with mortality rates of 50% or higher for patients developing severe Pcp. In addition, as more potent immunosuppressive therapies are developed for chronic inflammatory diseases, more cases of Pcp are occurring in non-HIV patients and in previously unreported clinical settings. These features highlight the importance of developing a better understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease, and the need to search for new therapeutic strategies to improve the outcome of Pcp patients. Immune-mediated inflammatory responses play an important role in the pathogenesis of Pcp, and may be even more significant in determining the outcome of Pcp than direct damage due to the organism itself. In this review we will summarize the immunopathogenic mechanisms that contribute to Pcp-associated lung injury, and discuss the potential to target these pathways for adjunctive immune modulation therapy for Pcp. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9ffec3cf6ba04c6fb1fdb12d4554e4d7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-708X 1687-7098 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-9ffec3cf6ba04c6fb1fdb12d4554e4d72025-02-03T01:09:35ZengWileyInterdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases1687-708X1687-70982011-01-01201110.1155/2011/918038918038Immune Modulation as Adjunctive Therapy for Pneumocystis pneumoniaJing Wang0Terry W. Wright1Francis Gigliotti2Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, P.O. Box 850, Rochester, NY 14642, USADepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, P.O. Box 850, Rochester, NY 14642, USADepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, P.O. Box 850, Rochester, NY 14642, USAPneumocystis is an opportunistic fungal respiratory pathogen that causes life-threatening pneumonia (Pcp) in patients suffering from defects in cell-mediated immunity, including those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and immunosuppression secondary to chemotherapy or organ transplantation. Despite major advances in health care, the mortality associated with Pcp has changed little over the past 25 years. Pcp remains a leading cause of death among HIV infected patients, with mortality rates of 50% or higher for patients developing severe Pcp. In addition, as more potent immunosuppressive therapies are developed for chronic inflammatory diseases, more cases of Pcp are occurring in non-HIV patients and in previously unreported clinical settings. These features highlight the importance of developing a better understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease, and the need to search for new therapeutic strategies to improve the outcome of Pcp patients. Immune-mediated inflammatory responses play an important role in the pathogenesis of Pcp, and may be even more significant in determining the outcome of Pcp than direct damage due to the organism itself. In this review we will summarize the immunopathogenic mechanisms that contribute to Pcp-associated lung injury, and discuss the potential to target these pathways for adjunctive immune modulation therapy for Pcp.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/918038 |
| spellingShingle | Jing Wang Terry W. Wright Francis Gigliotti Immune Modulation as Adjunctive Therapy for Pneumocystis pneumonia Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases |
| title | Immune Modulation as Adjunctive Therapy for Pneumocystis pneumonia |
| title_full | Immune Modulation as Adjunctive Therapy for Pneumocystis pneumonia |
| title_fullStr | Immune Modulation as Adjunctive Therapy for Pneumocystis pneumonia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Immune Modulation as Adjunctive Therapy for Pneumocystis pneumonia |
| title_short | Immune Modulation as Adjunctive Therapy for Pneumocystis pneumonia |
| title_sort | immune modulation as adjunctive therapy for pneumocystis pneumonia |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/918038 |
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