Size matters - how the immune system deals with fungal hyphae

Jürgen Löffler; Frank Ebel

doi:10.1016/j.micinf.2017.11.010

Size matters - how the immune system deals with fungal hyphae

Microbes Infect. 2018 Oct-Nov;20(9-10):521-525. doi: 10.1016/j.micinf.2017.11.010. Epub 2017 Dec 14.

Authors

Jürgen Löffler¹, Frank Ebel²

Affiliations

¹ Medical Hospital II, WÜ4i, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Germany.
² Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. Electronic address: frank.ebel@lmu.de.

PMID: 29248637
DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2017.11.010

Abstract

Fungal hyphae constitute a special challenge for the immune system, since they are too large to be phagocytosed. This review summarizes our current knowledge on those immune cells that are able to attack and eliminate hyphae and we discuss the different means that are employed by these cells in order to kill hyphae.

Keywords: Hyphae; Killing; NK cell; Neutrophil; Systemic fungal infection; Thrombocytes.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Blood Platelets / immunology
Fungi / immunology*
Hyphae / immunology*
Killer Cells, Natural / immunology
Mycoses / immunology*
Neutrophils / immunology