The human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus inhibits apoptosis in alveolar macrophages

During the complex interaction between host immune cells and infectious microorganisms, modulation of host cell death (apoptosis) \noften determines the progression and outcome of an infection. The opportunistic human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus \n, the most common cause of invasive aspergillosis in patients with \nseverely impaired immunity, has been reported to either ind \nuce or inhibit host cell \napoptosis depending on its distinct morphological form. However, the detailed \nmechanism of apoptosis inhibition mediated by A. fumigatus \nconidia remains elusive \nand the impact on survival of alveolar macrophages, the prominent resi \ndent phagocytic \ncells in the alveolar tract that control early steps of disease development, has not been \nstudied thus far.