Current Immunology Reviews (Discontinued) - Volume 8, Issue 3, 2012

The intestinal tract represents the first barrier to ingested chemicals or food contaminants and is also the first line of defense against intestinal infection. Because of their location, intestinal epithelial cells could be exposed to high doses of food contaminants. Among natural food contaminants, mycotoxins are regarded as an important risk factor for human and animal health as up to 25% of the world's crop produ Read More

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is a retrovirus which infects small ruminants and is responsible for a natural lung cancer. This virus bears an oncogenic envelope inducing epithelial cell transformation from the deep lung. The cells, main target of the infection and constitutive of the tumors, are alveolar type II cells in the alveoli and Clara cells in the bronchioli. The immune response to JSRV infection is poorly understo Read More

Dairy propionibacteria are gram positive, aerotolerant and mesophilic bacteria found in dairy products, and in diverse habitats such as soil, plants, and digestive tracts of ruminants. They are essential as ripening culture in the manufacture of Emmental cheese and other types of Swiss cheeses so they are consequently ingested in high amounts by the consumers. Dairy propionibacteria are also considered for their probiotic use. Read More

The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the lumen of blood and lymphatic vessels. Endothelial cells (ECs) from different locations have distinct and characteristic expression patterns that persist during in vitro culture. Although gene expression patterns in cultured cells clearly reveal the molecular heterogeneity of these ECs, their corelation with their in vivo counterparts remains to be defined. Situated at the interfac Read More

Our gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is colonized by the intestinal microbiota, a vast community of commensal bacteria which plays an important role in host gut health. Some food products contain live bacteria which transit through our GIT and could exert beneficial effects on our health. Major efforts are focused on these bacteria (known as probiotics) since the last 10 years. Among the numerous proposed health benefits attrib Read More

Fungi are the most important eukaryotic infective agents in Europe which largely overpass parasite infections. Total number of people dying of fungal infection is increasing and this trend is likely to continue due to the increase in immunosuppressive treatments. The opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) is a saprophytic filamentous fungus that can cause invasive pulmonary diseases in immuno-compromised host Read More