AUTHOR=Michalski Christina , Kan Bernard , Lavoie Pascal M. 

TITLE=Antifungal Immunological Defenses in Newborns

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00281

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2017.00281

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Newborns are prone to fungal infections, largely due to <italic>Candida</italic> species. The immunological basis for this vulnerability is not yet fully understood. However, useful insights can be gained from the knowledge of the maturation of immune pathways during ontogeny, particularly when placed in context with how rare genetic mutations in humans predispose to fungal diseases. In this article, we review these most current data on immune functions in human newborns, highlighting pathways most relevant to the response to <italic>Candida</italic>. While discussing these data, we propose a framework of why deficiencies in these pathways make newborns particularly vulnerable to this opportunistic pathogen.</p>