Interferon type I responses in primary and secondary infections
Date
2008
Authors
Alsharifi, M.
Muellbacher, A.
Regner, M.
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Journal article
Citation
Immunology and Cell Biology, 2008; 86(3):239-245
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Mohammed Alsharifi, Arno Müllbacher and Matthias Regner
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Abstract
The mammalian host responds to a microbial infection with a rapid innate immune reaction that is dominated by type I interferon (IFN-I) release. Most cells of vertebrates can respond to microbial attack with IFN-I production, but the cell type responsible for most of the systemic IFN-I release is thought to be plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). Besides its anti-microbial and especially anti-viral properties IFN-I also exerts a regulatory role on many facets of the sequential adaptive immune response. One of these is being the recently described partial, systemic activation of the vast majority of B and T lymphocytes in mice, irrespective of antigen reactivity. The biological significance of this partial activation of lymphocytes is at present speculative. Secondary infections occurring within a short time span of a primary infection fail to elicit a similar lymphocyte activation response due to a refractory period in systemic IFN-I production. This period of exhaustion in IFN-I responses is associated with an increased susceptibility of the host to secondary infections. The latter correlates with well-established clinical observations of heightened susceptibility of patients to secondary microbial infections after viral episodes.
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© 2008 Australasian Society for Immunology Inc. All rights reserved.