Imunidade aos fungos

Fungal infections, also called mycoses, are important causes of morbidity and mortality in humans. Some fungal infections are endemic, and these infections are usually caused by fungi that are present in the environment and whose spores penetrate humans. Other fungal infections are considered opportunistic because the etiological agents cause mild disease or no disease in healthy individuals, but can infect and cause severe disease in immunocompromised people. Compromised immunity is the most important predisposing factor for fungal infections that cause severe disease. Neutrophil deficiency as a result of bone marrow suppression or damage is often associated with these infections. Opportunistic fungal infections are also associated with immunodeficiency caused by HIV and by therapy for disseminated cancer and transplant rejection. Different fungi infect humans and can live outside cells in many tissues or inside phagocytes. Therefore, immune responses to these microbes are often combinations of responses to extracellular and intracellular microbes. Reference: Cellular and Molecular Immunology. 10th Edition - February 19, 2021. Authors: Abul Abbas, Andrew Lichtman, Shiv Pillai. eBook ISBN: 9780323757508. Paperback ISBN: 9780323757485