From Rare Disorders of Immunity to Common Determinants of Infection: Following the Mechanistic Thread

Overview

Journal Cell

Publisher Cell Press

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2022 Aug 19

PMID 35985287

Authors

Jean-Laurent Casanova

Laurent Abel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The immense interindividual clinical variability during any infection is a long-standing enigma. Inborn errors of IFN-γ and IFN-α/β immunity underlying rare infections with weakly virulent mycobacteria and seasonal influenza virus have inspired studies of two common infections: tuberculosis and COVID-19. A TYK2 genotype impairing IFN-γ production accounts for about 1% of tuberculosis cases, and autoantibodies neutralizing IFN-α/β account for about 15% of critical COVID-19 cases. The discovery of inborn errors and mechanisms underlying rare infections drove the identification of common monogenic or autoimmune determinants of related common infections. This "rare-to-common" genetic and mechanistic approach to infectious diseases may be of heuristic value.

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