Role of T- and B-lymphocytes in pulmonary host defences

Abstract

Pulmonary infectious diseases cause significant morbidity and mortality in both industrialized and developing countries.Adaptive immune responses are required to defend the lung against pathogens that survive in normal macrophages and extracellular organisms that evade phagocytosis. Microbes initiate both innate immune responses and specific adaptive immune responses.Innate immune response molecules regulate T-lymphocyte differentiation. Activated T-lymphocytes provide cytokines, which activate macrophages and lytic signals that lyse infected antigen-presenting cells.Antibodies produced by plasma cells facilitate microbial clearance through diverse effector mechanisms including opsonization, complement fixation and antibodydependent cytotoxicity. Lymphocytes determine the specificity of the immune response and orchestrate effector limbs of the immune response.

Lactic acid bacteria in the prevention of pneumococcal respiratory infection: Future opportunities and challenges

“…These antibodies have an important role in the protection against pneumococcal infection since opsonizing IgG antibodies are important for complement fixation and for enhancing the efficiency of macrophage killing. This immune activation also induces the production at the systemic level of antibodies responsible for preventing the passage of S. pneumoniae to the blood and their subsequent dissemination [34].…”

Lactococcus lactisas an adjuvant and delivery vehicle of antigens against pneumococcal respiratory infections

“…Besides, systemic antibody transudation increases during inflammatory reactions when vascular permeability is increased, which enhances pulmonary clearance of pathogenic microorganisms. 36 Knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the lung immune response against respiratory pathogens is necessary because it is in this context that recombinant vaccines will have to exert their preventive effect.…”

Influence of yogurt consumption on the respiratory immune response

“…This immune activation also induces the production at the systemic level of antibodies responsible for preventing the passage of pathogens to the blood and their subsequent dissemination (Moore, Moore, & Toews, 2001). Our experiments demonstrated that treatment with YP improved the production of anti-pneumococcal IgG in BAL and serum.…”