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Protozoan Infections (protozoan + infections)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

The role of type I interferons in non-viral infections

IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2004
Christian Bogdan
Summary:, For a long time, the family of type I interferons (IFN-,/,) has received little attention outside the fields of virology and tumor immunology. In recent years, IFN-,/, regained the interest of immunologists, due to the phenotypic and functional characterization of IFN-,/,-producing cells, the definition of novel immunomodulatory functions and signaling pathways of IFN-,/,, and the observation that IFN-,/, not only exerts antiviral effects but is also relevant for the pathogenesis or control of certain bacterial and protozoan infections. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the production and function of IFN-,/, during non-viral infections in vitro and in vivo. [source]

Role of the Toll/interleukin-1 receptor signaling pathway in host resistance and pathogenesis during infection with protozoan parasites

IMMUNOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Issue 1 2004
Ricardo T. Gazzinelli
Summary:, Different studies have illustrated the activation of the innate immune system during infection with protozoan parasites. Experiments performed in vivo also support the notion that innate immunity has a crucial role in resistance as well as pathogenesis observed during protozoan infections such as malaria, leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis, and trypanosomiasis. While major advances have been made in the assignment of bacterial molecules as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) agonists as well as defining the role of the Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) signaling pathway in host resistance to bacterial infection, this research area is now emerging in the field of protozoan parasites. In this review, we discuss the recent studies describing parasite molecules as TLR agonists and those studies indicating the essential role of the TIR-domain bearing molecule named myeloid differentiation factor 88 in host resistance to infection with protozoan parasites. Together, these studies support the hypothesis that the TIR signaling pathway is involved in the initial recognition of protozoan parasites by the immune system of the vertebrate host, early resistance to infection, development of acquired immunity, as well as pathology observed during acute infection with this class of pathogens. [source]

Management of HIV and AIDS in the African context

ORAL DISEASES, Issue 2002
R Wood
The initial response to the African HIV epidemic was to concentrate on the prevention of new infections. There is now an urgent need to address the health care requirements of large numbers of already infected individuals. The spectrum of disease in the African setting is dominated by tuberculosis, bacterial and protozoan infections. In much of Africa, health services are overwhelmed by the care of terminally ill AIDS patients. In the absence of specific HIV therapy, health care resources are being increasingly utilised, but with little survival benefit for the individual. Resources available for treating patients vary considerably between the richer and poorer countries of the continent. Primary prevention of opportunistic infections and maternal child transmission are at present affordable and cost-effective interventions. Whilst antiretroviral therapies may presently be unaffordable in much of Africa, they represent a modality that can have a major effect on HIV survival. The challenge is to improve the health and longevity of HIV-infected individuals with the rational use of the limited health resources available in Africa today. [source]

Breaking the species barrier: use of SCID mouse,human chimeras for the study of human infectious diseases

CELLULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 12 2003
Paul H. Davis
Summary Mouse,human chimeras have become a novel way to model the interactions between microbial pathogens and human cells, tissues or organs. Diseases studied with human xenografts in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice include Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis, group A streptococci and impetigo, bacillary and amoebic dysentery, and AIDS. In many cases, disease in the human xenograft appears to accurately reproduce the disease in humans, providing a powerful model for identifying virulence factors, host responses to infection and the effects of specific interventions on disease. In this review, we summarize recent studies that have used mouse,human chimeras to understand the pathophysiology of specific bacterial and protozoan infections. [source]