Institution: | a Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Medical Science I, Room 5214, 1301 Catherine Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0602, USA b Signal Research Division, Celgene Corporation, 5555 Oberlin Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, USA |
Abstract: | Allergic asthma can be precipitated by many factors. For the atopic person, fungus, pollen, dust mites, cockroach antigens, and diesel exhaust are all agents that may trigger an allergic attack. Cytokines and chemokines are integral mediators of fungal asthma. From the earliest time points, they recruit and activate the cells required for the clearance of fungus as well as being critical factors involved in the immunopathology of this disease. In the final analysis, it is clear that these mediators can act to the benefit or the detriment of the host. |