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Review
. 2021 Oct 12;9(10):2136.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9102136.

Francisella and Antibodies

Klara Kubelkova  1 , Ales Macela  1
Affiliations
Review

Francisella and Antibodies

Klara Kubelkova et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Immune responses to intracellular pathogens depend largely upon the activation of T helper type 1-dependent mechanisms. The contribution of B cells to establishing protective immunity has long been underestimated. Francisella tularensis, including a number of subspecies, provides a suitable model for the study of immune responses against intracellular bacterial pathogens. We previously demonstrated that Francisella infects B cells and activates B-cell subtypes to produce a number of cytokines and express the activation markers. Recently, we documented the early production of natural antibodies as a consequence of Francisella infection in mice. Here, we summarize current knowledge on the innate and acquired humoral immune responses initiated by Francisella infection and their relationships with the immune defense systems.

Keywords: B cells; Francisella tularensis; intracellular pathogen; natural antibodies; natural immunity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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