Infection, immunity, and hormones/endocrine interactions

Abstract

Infections and stress, immune responses, and hormones are interconnected, ensuring immune competence to deal with immediate threat of overwhelming infection and metabolic collapse. Emergence of cytokines as key signal mediators and appreciation of autocrine-paracrine influences of hormones have helped explain how signals are transmitted and responses evoked. This has led to possibilities of creating therapies that might be used to enhance protective signals and dampen signals emanating from host and invading organism interaction that might otherwise be detrimental. Correcting certain metabolic abnormalities, such as hyperglycemia and metabolic acidosis, benefits the host by decreasing morbidity and mortality.