Interaction of pathogenic bacteria with human phagocytic leukocytes

嗜中性粒细胞对于抵抗入侵微生物的先天免疫应答是必不可少的。与获得性免疫应答不同，获得性免疫应答需要时间来发展，并且依赖于先前与特定病原体的相互作用，中性粒细胞杀死感染性微生物的能力是立即的、非特异性的，并且不依赖于先前的病原体暴露。由于嗜中性粒细胞产生细胞毒性分子，并且是大多数细菌感染中的主要免疫细胞，因此感染诱导的炎症的缓和对于限制宿主组织破坏至关重要。我们研究的一个关键方面是研究中性粒细胞如何摄取和杀死细菌，并阐明吞噬后的后遗症，如细胞凋亡，这是炎症消退阶段的关键过程。 这些研究继续为解决人类感染提供基本见解。

Neutrophils are essential to the innate immune response against invading microorganisms. In contrast to the acquired immune response, which requires time to develop and is dependent on previous interaction with specific pathogens, the ability of neutrophils to kill infectious microorganisms is immediate, non-specific, and not dependent on previous pathogen exposure. Inasmuch as neutrophils produce cytotoxic molecules and are the predominant immune cell in most bacterial infections, moderation of infection-induced inflammation is critical for limiting host tissue destruction. A key aspect of our research investigates how neutrophils ingest and kill bacteria, and elucidates post-phagocytosis sequelae such as apoptosis, processes crucial for the resolution phase of inflammation. These studies continue to provide fundamental insight into the resolution of infection in humans.