Immunology of Fungal Infections

There are more than 100. 000 fungal species, yet only a few of these can be deemed pathogenic and capable of causing disease in humans. However, as a result of modern medical interventions, increased prevalence of HIV/AIDS, and emergence of antifungal resistance, the number of life-threatening fungal infections has risen sharply. As a consequence there has been a considerable increase in understanding the host response to fungal infection with the objective of generating adjunctive immunotherapies.In this article, we explore the importance of the innate and adaptive immune systems in combating fungal infection. First, we highlight the nonredundant role of innate immunity in controlling fungal infection with a particular focus on phagocytes and pattern recognition receptors, before describing the adaptive immune response comprising of dendritic cells, B and T cells. Finally, we overview the important advances in the development of immunotherapeutic strategies being employed for antifungal defense.