Review

Authors: Bryan Coburn, David S Guttman

Topics: Bacterial Infections; Diet; Exercise; Health Status; Humans; Immunocompetence; Life Style; Microbiota; Probiotics; Risk Factors; Sensitivity and Specificity

PubMed: 25991836
DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.141072

Review

Authors: Maria Isabel de Moraes-Pinto, Fabíola Suano-Souza, Carolina S Aranda...

OBJECTIVES

To describe the ontogeny of the immune system and the adaptive mechanisms of the immune system in the neonatal period, with an emphasis on transplacental antibody transport and breastfeeding.

SOURCE OF DATA

Non-systematic literature review in the PubMed database.

SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS

The last two decades have witnessed a great advance in the knowledge of the immune system since conception. Several investigation tools have provided insight on phenomena that were previously inadequately understood. Still expanding, the functional and molecular investigation of various aspects of the immune system will make it possible to understand how intra-uterus maternal-fetal exchanges, the maternal microbiota interacting with the fetus and newborn, and the acquisition of immunological competence occur in healthy and disease scenarios.

CONCLUSIONS

In-depth knowledge of the development of the immune system and of the adaptive mechanisms that allow a safer transition to the extrauterine environment are fundamental components of optimizing maternal and young infant vaccination, as well as the strategies associated with full postnatal development, and the early diagnosis and treatment of innate errors of immunity.

Topics: Female; Fetus; Humans; Immune System; Immunocompetence; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Microbiota; Pregnancy

PubMed: 33181111
DOI: 10.1016/j.jped.2020.10.006

Review

Authors: Blossom Damania, Christian Münz

Human γ-herpesviruses include the closely related tumor viruses Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). EBV is the most growth-transforming pathogen known and is linked to at least seven human malignancies. KSHV is also associated with three human cancers. Most EBV- and KSHV-infected individuals fortunately remain disease-free despite persistent infection and this is likely due to the robustness of the immune control that they mount against these tumor viruses. However, upon immune suppression EBV- and KSHV-associated malignancies emerge at increased frequencies. Moreover, primary immunodeficiencies with individual mutations that predispose to EBV or KSHV disease allow us to gain insights into a catalog of molecules that are required for the immune control of these tumor viruses. Curiously, there is little overlap between the mutation targets that predispose individuals to EBV versus KSHV disease, even so both viruses can infect the same host cell, human B cells. These differences will be discussed in this review. A better understanding of the crucial components in the near-perfect life-long immune control of EBV and KSHV should allow us to target malignancies that are associated with these viruses, but also induce similar immune responses against other tumors.

Topics: Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Herpesviridae; Herpesvirus 4, Human; Herpesvirus 8, Human; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Immunocompetence; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Neoplasms; Oncogenic Viruses

PubMed: 30649299
DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuy044

Review

Authors: Fernanda Pinto-Mariz

OBJECTIVES

To draw physicians' attention to the different warning signs of diseases of inborn errors of immunity.

DATA SOURCES

A non-systematic review of the literature was carried out in the PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO databases, in addition to consultation of reference textbooks.

SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS

It is known that the lack of immunological competence observed in patients with inborn errors of immunity diseases causes particularly serious and/or recurrent infections. However, manifestations related to autoimmunity, inflammation, allergies, and malignancy can also occur. Aiming at the early identification of these patients, a list of warning signs for inborn errors of immunity was created, in which the need for intravenous antibiotics or prolonged antibiotics use to control infection, failure to thrive, and positive family history for this group of diseases are considered the most sensitive. Regarding non-infectious manifestations, early onset, difficulty in controlling with the usual treatments, atypical presentations or association with other warning signs are noteworthy, and investigation for inborn errors of immunity in these situations is recommended.

CONCLUSIONS

This article highlights the importance of considering this group of diseases even in the face of patients with non-infectious manifestations. Disclosure of inborn errors of immunity diseases, especially to non-specialists, is essential for early diagnosis and, consequently, for the reduction of these patients' morbidity and mortality.

Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Failure to Thrive; Humans; Immunocompetence; Inflammation

PubMed: 33176165
DOI: 10.1016/j.jped.2020.10.007

Review

Authors: Andrew I Morrison, Mirthe J Sjoerds, Leander A Vonk...

Impressive advances have been made to replicate human physiology over the last few years due to the growth of the organ-on-chip (OoC) field in both industrial and academic settings. OoCs are a type of microphysiological system (MPS) that imitates functional and dynamic aspects of native human organ biology on a microfluidic device. Organoids and organotypic models, ranging in their complexity from simple single-cell to complex multi-cell type constructs, are being incorporated into OoC microfluidic devices to better mimic human physiology. OoC technology has now progressed to the stage at which it has received official recognition by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as an alternative to standard procedures in drug development, such as animal studies and traditional assays. However, an area that is still lagging behind is the incorporation of the immune system, which is a critical element required to investigate human health and disease. In this review, we summarise the progress made to integrate human immunology into various OoC systems, specifically focusing on models related to organ barriers and lymphoid organs. These models utilise microfluidic devices that are either commercially available or custom-made. This review explores the difference between the use of innate and adaptive immune cells and their role for modelling organ-specific diseases in OoCs. Immunocompetent multi-OoC models are also highlighted and the extent to which they recapitulate systemic physiology is discussed. Together, the aim of this review is to describe the current state of immune-OoCs, the limitations and the future perspectives needed to improve the field.

Topics: Humans; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Animals; Organoids; Immunocompetence

PubMed: 38835750
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1373186

Authors: Maria Ballester, Yuliaxis Ramayo-Caldas, Olga González-Rodríguez...

The inclusion of health-related traits, or functionally associated genetic markers, in pig breeding programs could contribute to produce more robust and disease resistant animals. The aim of the present work was to study the genetic determinism and genomic regions associated to global immunocompetence and health in a Duroc pig population. For this purpose, a set of 30 health-related traits covering immune (mainly innate), haematological, and stress parameters were measured in 432 healthy Duroc piglets aged 8 weeks. Moderate to high heritabilities were obtained for most traits and significant genetic correlations among them were observed. A genome wide association study pointed out 31 significantly associated SNPs at whole-genome level, located in six chromosomal regions on pig chromosomes SSC4, SSC6, SSC17 and SSCX, for IgG, γδ T-cells, C-reactive protein, lymphocytes phagocytic capacity, total number of lymphocytes, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin. A total of 16 promising functionally-related candidate genes, including CRP, NFATC2, PRDX1, SLA, ST3GAL1, and VPS4A, have been proposed to explain the variation of immune and haematological traits. Our results enhance the knowledge of the genetic control of traits related with immunity and support the possibility of applying effective selection programs to improve immunocompetence in pigs.

Topics: Animals; Genetic Markers; Genome-Wide Association Study; Immunocompetence; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Quantitative Trait Loci; Swine

PubMed: 33116177
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75417-7

Authors: Coline Bézy, Séverine Noirhomme, Pierre Montigny...

Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious disease. Its annual incidence was 10 million cases in 2019. We report the case of a 40 years old immunocompetent patient presenting with two large subcutaneous masses in his back. The diagnosis work-up will reveal multifocal tuberculosis with pulmmonary, vertebral, muscular and lymph node lesions. This case is unusual due to its presentation in an immunocompetent patient. Several laboratories have conducted experiments to isolate characteristics of the host that would allow the infection to spread despite the absence of an immunosuppressive medical condition. We also analyze the role of the PET scanner in the initial assessment and its interest in the monitoring of extra-pulmonary disease under anti-tuberculosis treatment. Multifocal tuberculosis cases are no longer the preserve of the immunocompromised and can be found in our industrialized countries. We must enonciate this diagnosis in front of unusual presentations. The delay in consultation, but also the delay of treatment, allows more widespread infections.

Topics: Humans; Adult; Tuberculosis; Immunocompetence

PubMed: 36924155
DOI: No ID Found

Authors: J L Stanford, C A Stanford, J M Grange...

Allergy, auto immunity and cancer are becoming more prevalent in the developed world. One explanation might be that the immune system required to protect us from such problems is being inadequately trained, perhaps due to our increased separation from the environment which has shaped our mutating genes since we emerged from the primaeval ooze. Those infections which were the essential primers of our immunity are being prevented and action is needed to refocus the immune response without exposing us to the diseases of the past. In this paper we assess our place in relation to the environment and consider ways in which the situation can be redressed. There are considerable similarities between the immune system and human consciousness. Both enter the world in considerable ignorance of the events awaiting them, yet with the genetic ability, endowed by millennia of selection and evolution, to experience the world, to interpret and act on the experiences and to retain memory of the experiences. In both systems, maternal influences and early environmental encounters have profound effects on determining the patterns of subsequent responses. Ideally the 'learned' responses will benefit or protect the individual but inappropriate responses may lead to self damage. As the environment has altered irrevocably, attention must be paid to regulating the balance of immunological responsiveness to that expected of the normal immunological learning process. This should be possible by novel vaccination strategies.

Topics: Autoimmune Diseases; Biological Evolution; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Immunocompetence; Infections; Neoplasms; Th2 Cells

PubMed: 11525013
DOI: 10.3184/003685001783239014

Review

Authors: Clare Sun, Adrian Wiestner

Reversing or preventing immunodeficiency in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is of the highest priority. The past decade of research has met the challenge of treating CLL for most patients. Patients continue to struggle, however, with infections and second primary malignancies related to immunodeficiency. Strategies addressing this need currently are limited to vaccinations, with suboptimal efficacy, and immunoglobulin replacement. Correlative studies have provided insights into immunologic alterations on treatment. Understanding vulnerabilities in the immune system may help identify potential interventions to boost immunity. An emphasis on systematically testing such interventions is required to restore immunocompetence in patients with CLL.

Topics: Humans; Immunocompetence; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell; Neoplasms, Second Primary

PubMed: 34174988
DOI: 10.1016/j.hoc.2021.03.010

Review

Authors: Ami Schattner

CMV is a ubiquitous DNA virus that establishes infection and results in 40-100% seropositivity. Viral replication occurs following an acquired primary infection (or reinfection) or by the reactivation of life-long latency. In immunocompetent patients, CMV infection is mostly asymptomatic or mild and self-limited. However, an extensive review of the literature published up to April 2024 reveals that despite immunocompetence, CMV can cause a very large variety of clinical syndromes in any part of the gastrointestinal tract (the most common pattern), the central or peripheral nervous system, and the eyes, as well as hematological, pulmonary, cardiac, and cutaneous disease. Not uncommonly, more than one system is involved, and though the disease is often self-limited, treatment with intravenous ganciclovir or oral valganciclovir may be required, and in isolated cases, fatalities may occur. Thus, a potential CMV infection should be considered in the differential of myriad syndromes in non-immunocompromised patients. Associated systemic symptoms (fever, sweats, and weight loss), lymphocytosis, and hepatitis are not uncommon and can be a useful clue. Some populations, such as critically ill patients in intensive care, pregnant women, elderly patients, and those with inflammatory bowel disease, may be more susceptible. Moreover, the potential of past, latent CMV infection (i.e., CMV seropositivity) to be associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity and all-cause mortality years later is intriguing and requires further study. All these data indicate the outstanding importance of developing a vaccine against CMV, which hopefully will become available in the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, a solid diagnosis of active CMV infection can be quickly established (or ruled out) by widely available serology tests and PCR amplification, and clinicians in all disciplines need to be more aware of the diverse guises of CMV infection and remember to consider it in any host, including an immunocompetent one.

Topics: Humans; Cytomegalovirus Infections; Cytomegalovirus; Immunocompetence; Antiviral Agents

PubMed: 39204267
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13080667