Fungal Immunology: Mechanisms of Host Innate Immune Recognition and Evasion by Pathogenic Fungi

Abstract

For a fungal pathogen to successfully infect, colonize and spread inside a susceptible host, it must have overcome the host immune responses. The early recognition of the fungal pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS) by the host’s pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) results in the establishment of anti-fungal immunity. Although, our immune system has evolved several processes to combat these pathogens both at the innate and adaptive immune levels. These organisms have developed various escape strategies to evade the recognition by the host\'s innate immune components and thus interfering with host immune mechanisms. In this chapter, we will summarize the major PRRs involved in sensing fungal PAMPS and most importantly the fungal tactics to escape the host\'s innate immune surveillance and protective mechanisms.