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Clinical Microbiology Reviews, October 2009, p. 535-551, Vol. 22, No. 4
0893-8512/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CMR.00014-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Innate Immunity to Aspergillus Species

Stacy J. Park1 and Borna Mehrad2* Author Bios

Department of Microbiology,1 Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 229082

Summary: All humans are continuously exposed to inhaled Aspergillus conidia, yet healthy hosts clear the organism without developing disease and without the development of antibody- or cell-mediated acquired immunity to this organism. This suggests that for most healthy humans, innate immunity is sufficient to clear the organism. A failure of these defenses results in a uniquely diverse set of illnesses caused by Aspergillus species, which includes diseases caused by the colonization of the respiratory tract, invasive infection, and hypersensitivity. A key concept in immune responses to Aspergillus species is that the susceptibilities of the host determine the morphological form, antigenic structure, and physical location of the fungus. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the multiple layers of innate defenses against Aspergillus species that dictate the outcome of this host-microbe interaction.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 800546, Charlottesville, VA 22908. Phone: (434) 243-4845. Fax: (434) 924-2824. E-mail: Mehrad{at}Virginia.edu

Clinical Microbiology Reviews, October 2009, p. 535-551, Vol. 22, No. 4
0893-8512/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CMR.00014-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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