Tag Archives:phagocytosis
Prison break – How fungi escape from a hostile environment inside immune cells
Candida albicans is a commensal yeast of humans and colonizes ≈70% of the human population. It is common for C. albicans to cause self-limiting infections, but severe infections can be life-threatening. Invasive candidiasis occurs in patients with a
Cells with an appetite: munching at a single-cell level
Phagocytosis is defined as the receptor-mediated uptake of large particulate matter. This process is particularly efficient in specialized immune cells such as macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells. These cells constitute the first line of defense against invading
Erythrocytes, not leukocytes, clear bacteria from blood circulation
After discovery of phagocytosis by Elie Metchnikoff in 1882, it has become an axiom that in human body white blood cells (leukocytes) are the main cells that engulf and destroy bacteria and other pathogens. But until recently, there has
Collateral damages and self-inflicted scars by inflammation in cardiovascular diseases
Inflammation is a double-edged sword used by the body to initiate the healing process. However, persistence of immune responses can cause progressive destruction of tissues culminating in self-destructive autoimmune reactions which is a hallmark of many diseases.
