Furthermore, to investigate whether sMTL-13 is expressed during active infection in vivo, we have performed immuno-staining in pleural biopsies from ATB patients. Figure 2C shows positive staining for sMTL-13 in tissue granulomas from ATB patients. In contrast, as expected no staining was observed in biopsies from negative IgG1 isotype control (Fig. 2D), skin biopsies from M. leprae-infected patients (Fig. 2E), or in tissue granulomas associated with fungal infection (Fig. 2F and data not shown). A hallmark

of mycobacterial infection is the generation of a strong immune response against secreted antigens. A number of antigens secreted by Mtb have been proposed to function as virulence factors and may influence the clinical outcome of TB 11, 12, 29. We therefore investigated whether sMTL-13 is recognized by TB patients during active disease. First, we measured recall Epigenetics inhibitor responses by means of IFN-γ production of PBMC following exposure to sMTL-13 in vitro. As demonstrated in Fig. 3A, sMTL-13-stimulated PBMC from active TB patients (n=11) display increased production of IFN-γ when compared with BCG-vaccinated purified protein

derivative (PPD)-negative control subjects (n=6). In addition, we have performed ELISA in serum samples from 34 diseased individuals as well as 38 control subjects. As shown in Fig. 3B, recently diagnosed TB patients (either naive of treatment or up to 15 days undergoing early chemotherapy; ATB group) presented high titers of anti-sMTL-13 total IgG Ab. Importantly, Omipalisib order anti-sMTL-13 IgG titers rapidly decreased during the first months (1–2) of treatment and reached background levels as compared with those from endemic or non-endemic subjects. Moreover, anti-sMTL-13 IgG Ab titers remained at background levels following successful anti-TB chemotherapy (6 months). Furthermore,

receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis at the optimal cutoff point revealed that anti-sMTL-13 IgG titers display high specificity (90%) as well as sensitivity (93%) for TB diagnosis (Fig. 3C). There was no significant difference between the areas for ESAT-6 (AUC=0.956 (AUC, area under the curve), CI 95%: 0.865–0.985) and sMTL-13 (AUC=0.943, CI 95%: 0.855–0.981). Together, these Bumetanide data suggest that TB patients display adaptive immune responses against sMTL-13 during active disease and anti-sMTL-13 Ab are decreased following therapeutic control of Mtb in vivo. Proteins actively secreted during the in vitro early growth phase of Mtb have been the subject of intensive investigation for their ability to elicit immune responses either in vitro or in vivo30–34. In support of this concept, mice immunized with live but not dead bacilli can induce a protective T-cell response, reinforcing the notion that secreted proteins are among the antigens encountered and presented by the host immune system 35.

Lymphatic reabsorption also may contribute to UFF, and we previously reported that lymphangiogenesis is linked to PF. But it is not clear yet whether lymphangiogenesis is a common finding in PF and peritonitis. Methods: We developed the two animal models: the rat chlorhexidine gluconate (CG) model and the rat methylglyoxal (MGO) model by intraperitoneal injections of CG or MGO solutions. We evaluated lymphatic vessel proliferation https://www.selleckchem.com/HSP-90.html and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C and -D in their parietal peritoneum and diaphragm by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and real-time PCR. To analyze the lymphatic

function in the two models, we evaluated the amount of FITC in serum after intraperitoneal injection of FITC-dextran. Results: Both the CG model rats and the MGO model rats showed lymphangiognesis, which is more predominant in the diaphragm than in the parietal peritoneum. In the CG model, VEGF-C and -D expression were high in the diaphragm and the parietal peritoneum. On the other hand, VEGF-D expression was mainly upregulated in the diaphragm of the MGO model, while VEGF-C, and -D expression elavated in the parietal peritoneum. In the analysis of lymphatic function, we detected MG-132 research buy positive levels of FITC dextran in the serum of the rats, and found the level of FITC-dextran were extremely high in both models. Conclusion: Our

results suggest that Lymphangiogenesis is a common Bcl-w feature of PF and peritonitis, which may contribute to UFF. CHAN SIU KIM, HO YIU WING, LAM CHI KWAN, TAM CHUN HEY, TANG WING CHUN ANTHONY, WONG SZE HO SUNNY Renal Unit, United Christian Hospital, Hong Kong Introduction: The emergence

of Extended Spectrum Betalactamase (ESBL) producing enterobacteriaceae imposed great challenge in treating CAPD peritonitis. There was in fact no generally agreed treatment strategy in this issue, especially on the drug of choice, route and frequency of administration. ISPD guideline update 2010 provided dosing recommendation of Intraperitoneal (IP) Imipenen/cilastatin. In an attempt to minimize Imipenem induced neurological complication, other carbapenem group antibiotics, most notably intraperitoneal Meropenem, has been tried successfully. However the pharmacokinetics, dosing and treatment outcome have not been well studied. In this report we retrospectively analyzed the treatment outcome by various treatment strategies. Methods: Renal registry of a single centre was retrieved for the period 1 Jan 2010 to 31 Dec 2013 and all the episodes of CAPD peritonitis caused by ESBL eneterobacteriaceae were studied. Data as shown in table 1 were collected. Outcome information displayed includes need of Tenckhoff catheter (T/C) removal, relapse of the same pathogen within 28 days of completing treatment and death.

Recipient mice received 200 μg anti-mouse IL-17A antibody i.p.

on 4 consecutive days followed by an injection every other day until the age of 7 weeks. For the generation of single-cell suspensions from spleen, LN, and thymus, organs were collected in BSS and were mechanically disrupted on a metallic grid. For isolation of heart-infiltrating cells, euthanized animals were perfused with 20 mL BSS and small heart tissue pieces were digested with 170 PLX4032 clinical trial U/mL collagenase type II (Gibco) and 60 U/mL DNAse 1 (ApliChem) in BSS at 37°C under continuous stirring. The tissue suspension was sheered and mononuclear cells were purified by centrifugation (25 min at 800 × g, 4°C) on a 30–70% Percoll gradient (GE Healthcare). For flow cytometric analysis, cells were resuspended in FACS buffer (PBS, 2% FCS, 10 mM EDTA, 0.05% sodium acide) and incubated with the following monoclonal antibodies: anti-Vβ8.1/8.2-FITC (MR5–2), anti-CD45-FITC (30-F11), anti-Vα2-PE (B20.1), anti-IL-2-PE (JES6–5H4), anti-IL-10-PE (JESS-16E3), anti-IL-17A-PE (TC11–18H10.1), anti-I-Ad-PE (AMS-32.1), anti-Ly6G-PE (1A8), anti-IFN-γ-allophycocyanin (XMG1.2),

https://www.selleckchem.com/products/wnt-c59-c59.html anti-CD4-PerCP (RM4–5), and anti-TNF-α-PE (MP6-XT22) from BD Pharmingen, anti-CD11b-FITC (M1/70), anti-CD8-allophycocyanin (N418), anti-F4/80- allophycocyanin (CI:A3–1), and anti-IL-4-PE (11B11) from BioLegend, anti-CD11c-allophycocyanin (N418) from eBioscience, and anti-CD62L-allophycocyanin (145/15) from Miltenyi Biotech. Intracellular Foxp3 staining was performed with the mouse regulatory T-cell staining kit using anti-FoxP3-PE (FJK-16) or FoxP3-PE-Cy7 (FJK-16s) antibodies (eBioscience). For assessment of ex vivo production of IFN-γ, IL-17, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-10, and IL-4, 106 lymphocytes were incubated for 5 h at 37 out °C in 96-well round-bottom plates in 200 μL of RPMI per 5% FCS supplemented with 10 μg/mL brefeldin A (Sigma). Cells were stimulated with 0.25 μg myhca614–629 peptide, phorbol myristate acetate (50 ng/mL; Sigma)/ionomycin (500 ng/mL; Sigma) (PMA/I) as positive control, or were left untreated. After surface molecule

labeling, cells were permeabilized with Fix&Perm (BD Bioscience) solution and staining for intracellular cytokines was performed in permeabilization buffer (1× PBS, 2% FCS, 0.1% saponin, 0.1% sodium acide, 5 mM EDTA). Samples were measured using a FACS Calibur or FACS Canto flow cytometer (BD Biosciences). Data were analyzed using FlowJo software (Tree Star, Inc.) or CellQuest software (BD Biosciences). Spleen cells were labeled with 10 μL 5 mM carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CSFE, dissolved in DMSO) (Molecular Probes) in 10 mL PBS for 10 min at 37°C. The staining reaction was stopped with 1 mL FCS (Lonza), followed by washing with PBS. A total of 2 × 105 splenocytes/well were seeded in 96-well round-bottom plate and myhca614–629 peptide was added at the indicated concentrations. CSFE dilution was assessed by flow cytometry after 3 days of incubation at 37°C.

In tissues, inflammatory signals mediated by direct recognition of fungal cell wall components or other fungal products by PRRs, recruit additional immune cells and drive adaptive immune responses. IFN-γ produced by Th1 lymphocytes is fundamental for stimulating the antifungal activity of neutrophils. The central role of endogenous IFN-γ in the resistance against

systemic fungal infection is underscored by the observation that KO mice deficient in IFN-γ are highly susceptible to disseminated C. albicans infection [36]. In addition, mice deficient in IL-18, which plays a crucial role in the induction of IFN-γ, are also more susceptible to disseminated candidiasis see more [37]. Th1 also appears to be protective in the host defense against Aspergillus. Cells producing IFN-γ are induced by Aspergillus in immunocompetent mice. Live conidia, which undergo swelling and germination, are able to prime Th1 responses [38]. It has been elegantly demonstrated that CD4+ T cells differentiate during respiratory fungal infection, with TLR-mediated signals in the lymph node enhancing the potential for IFN-γ production, whereas other signals promote Th1 differentiation selleck kinase inhibitor in the

lung [39]. Although many studies focused on the pathological aspects of IL-17-producing T cells in many autoimmune diseases, studies examining T-cell polarization in response to PAMPs have identified an array of fungal components that preferentially induce the Th17 lineage [40], suggesting a role for Th17 cells in fungus-induced host defense, such as those specific for C. albicans, Pneumocystis carinii, and Criptococcus spp. The observation that mice deficient in IL-17RA show an increased susceptibility to disseminated C. albicans infection first demonstrated the critical involvement

of Th17 responses in protective anti-Candida host defenses [41]. Although this suggests a protective role for Th17 response in fungal infection, negative effects of Th17-mediated inflammatory responses to intragastric Inositol monophosphatase 1 C. albicans infection in mice have also been reported [42], as well as higher susceptibility to Candida and Aspergillus infection in absence of Toll IL1R8 (TIR8), a negative regulator of Th17 responses [43]. On the other hand, patients with impaired Candida-specific Th17 responses, such as patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, are especially susceptible to mucosal C. albicans infections [44]. These observations strongly indicate that Th17 responses are important for human anti-Candida mucosal host defense since patients with genetic defects in the receptor dectin-1 or in its signaling (a potent activator of Th17) suffer from chronic mucosal fungal infections [45, 46]. Mucosal Th17-cell subsets and their associated cytokines, IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-22, have been shown to play key roles in discriminating colonization and invasive fungal disease [47-49].

Furthermore, polymorphisms in the human IL-4 gene associated with reduced IL-4 production are significantly linked with increased S. aureus colonization (Emonts et al., 2008). These data are consistent with the TH2 anti-inflammatory fibrotic response as being critical for controlling S. aureus infection. Whether this is directly because of the Angiogenesis inhibitor induction of polyamine synthesis has yet to be reported, but the acquisition of speG-encoding ACME would

counter increased spermine levels in fibrotic tissue perhaps explaining the association of USA300 CA-MRSA with severe skin/soft tissue infections. How do we reconcile a significant role for SpeG in S. aureus pathogenesis with the lack of a strong ACME phenotype in most model infections (Diep et al., 2008a; Montgomery et al., 2009)? One explanation could be that the observed increase in α-hemolysin and Protein A expression upon ACME inactivation in USA300 could overcompensate for the resulting polyamine sensitivity (Diep et al., 2008a). Another selleck screening library possibility is that the Arc operon on ACME actually drives excess polyamine production necessitating SpeG-mediated spermine detoxification.

The Arc operon consists of genes that convert l-arginine to l-ornithine and CO2 while producing ATP and ammonia. The resulting l-ornithine is exchanged for extracellular l-arginine by the l-arginine/l-ornithine antiporter ArcD effectively converting extracellular l-arginine to l-ornithine. Thus, the Arc operon could skew the flux of host l-arginine away from iNOS toward polyamine

synthesis rendering speG essential (Fig. 2). Deleting all of ACME might allow the host to partition available l-arginine toward NO-production, an immune effector that S. aureus is known to effectively resist (Richardson et al., 2006, 2008; Hochgrafe et al., 2008). This is consistent with the presence of speG on ACME islands that harbor the auxiliary arc gene cluster (Fig. 2). While this hypothesis could explain the modularity of ACME that results in ∆speG attenuation, it has several aspects that require experimental attention. First, all strains of S. aureus already encode an Arc operon on the core chromosome that could also result in excess host polyamine synthesis, yet SpeG is only associated with ACME-positive USA300 S. aureus. This could be explained by the fact that PIK3C2G the chromosomal Arc operon is only expressed under conditions of low oxygen and low glucose and little is known about ACME Arc expression in S. aureus (Makhlin et al., 2007). Second, a dominant MRSA clone of ST22 lineage in Irish hospitals harbors an ACME island with an arc gene cluster but appears to lack a speG homologue (Shore et al., 2011). Another issue is that significant CA-MRSA disease in Latin America is caused by USA300 clones that lack ACME (Reyes et al., 2009). Thus, ACME may contribute to colonization and virulence, but it cannot fully explain the predominance of USA300 in CA-MRSA disease in North America.

Improved glycaemic control, as measured by reduction in glycated haemoglobin levels (HbA1c), should not be considered a useful end-point going forward, even though it was used (albeit unsuccessfully) in the Phase III teplizumab (anti-CD3) trial. Patients enrolled into intervention trials should be treated to prespecified HbA1c target levels using standard clinical care, and thus any differences between treatment and placebo groups learn more raise concerns about

study design and conduct. In general, therefore, changes in immune correlates of the autoimmune process [5] have not been selected as study end-points, even though the disease process is

immune-mediated. Given that defining changes in disease progression by C-peptide measurement imposes long-term study follow-up, and new insights which suggest that β cell function does not necessarily equate with β cell mass [6], there is a strong argument to be made that the field should shift towards alternative, immune-based end-points that can deliver more rapidly and potentially in smaller-sized treatment groups, at least at a ‘proof-of-concept’ stage [5, 7]. As the unmet medical needs and potential benefits of successful immunotherapy are find more greatest in children, it is evident that the inclusion of children in clinical trials is highly desirable, provided that there is adequate risk assessment. Indeed, the inclusion of younger patients in the rituximab trial secured short-term efficacy

that would have remained unnoticed if subjects only beyond 18 years of age had been recruited [8]. Effects of otelixizumab in older patients became apparent only upon extended follow-up [9]. In addition to age, the timing Flucloronide of inclusion and window of opportunity for success in relation to disease progression remain poorly defined. Depending on the type of intervention, it may prove difficult to treat during the medical emergency of newly manifested disease, although early enrolment (typically 3 months after diagnosis) has become the common inclusion criterion for intervention trials. As β cells survive up to decades after diagnosis, together with insulitic lesions [10, 11], there is in reality no reason to exclude patients beyond 3–6 months after diagnosis who have measurable C-peptide, other than the slower slope in decline of stimulated β cell function and associated reduced statistical power to define treatment-induced changes. This, again, argues for alternative (surrogate) end-points of therapeutic efficacy [5].

Both the parent

and mutant lacked four known virulence-associated genes. The mutant exhibited J29-like susceptibility to all of the tested antibiotics, with the exception that the mutant was resistant to nalidixic acid. This resistance correlated with a one nucleotide substitution (G to A) at nucleotide position 260 of gyrA (corresponding to one amino acid substitution [Asp to Gly] at protein residue 87). Sequences of the quinolone-resistance-determining regions of gyrB and parC did not reveal any other predicted amino acid changes. The LD50 value for i.v. infection was 6.2 × 108 CFU for AESN1331, indicating an approximately 10-fold reduction in pathogenicity compared to the Buparlisib cell line parent strain (Table 1). Bio-distribution of the mutant and parent after fine spray inoculation is shown in Table 2. In chickens inoculated with AESN1331, bacteria selleck chemical were detected only in the nasal and orbital cavities, and lung, and only at 1 dpi. In chickens inoculated with the J29 parent, bacteria were detected in the orbital cavity, lung, cecum, and bursa of Fabricius at 1 dpi. J29 persisted through 4 weeks in the cecum, and through 5 weeks in the bursa of Fabricius. Histopathological examination, performed at 7 dpi,

revealed no abnormal findings in chickens inoculated with AESN1331. In contrast, J29-inoculated animals exhibited light lymphocytic infiltrations of lung and heart, and vacuolization of hepatocytes. Following two inoculations with the mutant by fine spray, coarse spray, or eye drop, chickens displayed no adverse clinical signs or attenuation of weight gain (data not shown). Mortalities, clinical scores, lesion scores, and detection of challenge strain in the experimental groups are shown in Table 3. For groups challenged via fine spray, coarse spray, eye drop, and the unimmunized controls,

the mortality of the chickens within 7 days post-challenge was 10%, 0%, 0%, and 80%, respectively. Although none of the chickens in the coarse spray or eye drop groups died, there were no significant differences among the three immunized groups. However, immunization with AESN1331 (by any of the three routes) did provide significant reductions in mortality compared to the unimmunized control group (P < 0.05). Similarly, mean clinical scores were significantly Metalloexopeptidase less in the immunized animals than in the unimmunized control group. Decreased lesion scores (in heart and liver) demonstrated that immunization lowered the severity of pericarditis and perihepatitis in the birds. In addition, in contrast to the immunized groups, the challenge strain was detected in 80% of the unimmunized chickens in the control group. Chickens hatched from all inoculated eggs, whether inoculated with AESN1331 or PBS, and there were no adverse clinical signs or attenuation of weight gain in the mutant-inoculated chickens preceding the exposure to challenge (data not shown).

We are most grateful to the patients and controls who generously donated blood samples and to Dr Misbah, Dr Lorton and Dr Patel, who care for these patients. We are also grateful to the staff at the Department of Clinical Laboratory Immunology at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford for their support and performing the lymphocyte subset analyses. Authors’ conflicts of interest: None declared. “
“Natural killer (NK) cell adoptive

transfer is a promising approach for cancer immunotherapy; however, its https://www.selleckchem.com/products/PD-0332991.html development has been hindered by the lack of efficient methods to produce large numbers of functional NK cells. In this study, we engineered the leukaemia cell line K562 to express check details CD137 ligand (CD137L) and membrane-bound interleukin (mbIL)-21 on the cell surface, and used these cells to expand NK cells from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We found that purity of the NK cells (CD3−CD56+/CD16+) increased from less than 30% to above 95% after a 3-week expansion and proliferation of the cells was sustained for more than 8 weeks. The surface expression

of NK cell activating and inhibitory receptors, except for NKp80, was clearly increased with the expansion, and NK cell-mediated killing activity was also enhanced significantly. However, these changes in both phenotype and function were clearly reversed by JSI-124, a specific signal Farnesyltransferase transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3) inhibitor. Taken together, data showed that the combination of mbIL-21 and CD137L could efficiently induce the formation of functional human NK cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and STAT-3 inhibition could impair this induction. Therefore, STAT-3 activation may benefit human NK cell proliferation and cytotoxicity, and provide valuable clinical applications in NK cell immunotherapy against viral infectious diseases and cancers.

Human natural killer (NK) cells are a subset of peripheral blood lymphocytes that are defined by their expression of CD56 and/or CD16 and the absence of T cell receptor CD3 [1]. NK cells can recognize and subsequently kill virus-infected and transformed cells in the absence of prior stimulation, and play a critical role in the immune surveillance of virus infectious diseases and cancers. NK cell killing is regulated through balanced signals from the activating and inhibitory receptors on NK cell surface [2]. A large number of studies have demonstrated that NK cells could elicit strong anti-tumour efficacy, and are promising effectors for adoptive immunotherapy against cancers [3]. NK cell alloreactivity could control leukaemia relapse without causing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) [4]. Adoptive transfer of NK cells has been tested in early-phase clinical trials and has emerged as a safe and potentially efficacious immunotherapy for cancers [5].

Recently, we demonstrated that Fli-1 plays a very important role in B cell development [18]. In Fli-1ΔCTA/Fli-1ΔCTA homozygous learn more B6 mice that express a truncated Fli-1 protein lacking the carboxy-terminal transcriptional activation domain, the follicular B cell population is decreased significantly, whereas marginal zone B cells were increased markedly. Thus, Fli-1 may affect autoantibody production by altering B cell development [18]. The role of follicular B cells and marginal zone B cells in autoreactive

B cell development is not clear at this time, as both types of B cells were implicated, depending upon the model, in autoantibody production. Some studies suggested that marginal zone B cells contribute to the pathogenic autoantibody production; other studies, however, implicated the follicular B cell population for the autoreactive B cell development [19–21]. The B cell clearly has important pathogenic roles in disease development independent mTOR inhibitor of autoantibody production. Although not tested as yet, Fli-1 may also impact B cell antigen-presenting function

and/or cytokine production. We found that Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice that received WT MRL/lpr BM had lower renal scores and improved survival, although there was no statistical significance. Glomurulonephritis with lupus is a major cause of death in both human patients and animal models of lupus. Expression of Egr-1 was demonstrated recently to be an important mediator of mesangial cell proliferation during experimental glomerulonephritis [22,23]. Direct inhibition of expression of Egr-1 by anti-sense oligonucleotides resulted in decreased renal disease in this experimental model [23]. Olopatadine A previous report demonstrated that Fli-1 enhanced the expression of Egr-1 through direct promoter transactivation [24]. It is possible that the decreased renal disease and improved

survival in Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice receiving WT MRL/lpr mice BM was due to the lower expression of Egr-1 in these mice, although local renal expression of Egr-1 would appear to be more important in renal pathology than expression of Egr-1 in inflammatory cells. Preliminary microarray analysis demonstrated decreased expression of Egr-1 in the kidneys of Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice compared to WT MRL/lpr mice, and the expression of Egr-1 in the kidneys from Fli-1+/− MRL/lpr mice was about threefold lower compared to WT MRL/lpr mice by real time PCR (data not shown). BM transplantation in animal models of inflammatory/autoimmune diseases is used to study the contribution of haematopoietic versus non-haematopoietic cell lineages to disease development [14].

In this study we Daporinad supplier show that LPS induces apoptosis of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) and modulates phenotypes of DCs. LPS treatment up-regulates expression of tolerance-associated molecules such as CD205 and galectin-1,

but down-regulates expression of Gr-1 and B220 on CD11c+ DCs. Moreover, LPS treatment regulates the numbers of CD11c+CD8+, CD11c+CD11blow and CD11c+CD11bhi DCs, which perform different immune functions in vivo. Our data also demonstrated that intravenous transfer of LPS-treated DCs blocks experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) development and down-regulates expression of retinoic acid-related orphan receptor gamma t (ROR-γt), interleukin (IL)-17A, IL-17F, click here IL-21, IL-22 and interferon (IFN)-γ in myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-primed CD4+ T cells in the

peripheral environment. These results suggest that LPS-induced apoptotic DCs may lead to generation of tolerogenic DCs and suppress the activity of MOG-stimulated effector CD4+ T cells, thus inhibiting the development of EAE in vivo. Our results imply a potential mechanism of LPS-induced tolerance mediated by DCs and the possible use of LPS-induced apoptotic DCs to treat autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. “
“Complement is the central host defense system that clears invading microbes and balances homeostasis. Pathogenic microbes such as Candida albicans have to breach this efficient and important immune defense layer in order to propagate within

the host and to establish an infection. Knowing exactly how the activated complement cascade responds to and attacks microbial invaders is central to understanding the immune battle and the infection process. This also allows a better understanding of how Candida counteracts the individual steps of host innate immunity. Ultimately this knowledge will allow the design of appropriate selleck chemicals llc therapeutic molecules. In this issue Cheng et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2012. 42: 993-1004] identify a new cellular effect of the activated human complement system in the defense against the fungal pathogen C. albicans. The authors show that the complement activation fragment C5a, which is formed in response to Candida infection, induces the cellular release of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Cheng et al. [1] show that Candida activates complement and that the newly formed activation peptide C5a activates human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and induces the release of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β. Thereby, the authors identify a new C5a-mediated cytokine response by the activated complement system. Fungal pathogens such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus activate the human complement system [[2-4]], which in turn generates damaging effector molecules that normally attack and eliminate the invading microorganism [[5]].