Host genetics and opportunistic fungal infections

Abstract

Current knowledge on the human pathophysiology of fungal infections highlights the crucial role of genetic pitfalls in specific immunity pathways that determine, together with other risk factors, the predisposition to and clinical outcome of fungal disease. In several studies, associations between gene polymorphisms and genetic errors have been implicated in an immunodeficiency phenotype and an increased incidence of opportunistic fungal diseases. The major challenge is to fully understand the complex interactions between genetic variations and multiple factors, and their relative contributions to the final clinical fungal disease phenotype. The aim of this review is to present updated knowledge on immunity genetics and susceptibility to medically relevant fungal diseases, such as those caused by Candida, Aspergillus, and certain other more rare fungi.

Keywords: Adaptive immunity; Aspergillus; Candida; fungi; immune markers; innate immunity.