Candida albicans is one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections in immune compromised patients. The risk of both developing candidiasis and the clinical outcome of infection is variable among patients, and the host-dependent factors that contribute to patient susceptibility to C. albicans infection are poorly understood. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation , Michail Lionakis and colleagues at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases demonstrated that the chemokine receptor CX 3 CR1 is required for the interaction of C. albicans and macrophages in the kidney. Mice lacking this receptor were prone to C. albicans -induced kidney failure; however, these mice did not have increased fungal burden in other organs. Furthermore, the authors found that patients with a mutation in the gene encoding CX 3 CR1 were at higher risk of candidiasis. This study identifies an important role for the interaction of C. albicans and macrophages in disease progression and outcome.
TITLE: CX 3 CR1-dependent renal macrophage survival promotes Candida control and host survival
AUTHOR CONTACT: Michail Lionakis
NIAID NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
Phone: 301-443-5089; Fax: 301-480-5787; E-mail: lionakism@mail.nih.gov
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/71307?key=c09c9f7b1f8d1860c357
Journal of Clinical Investigation