Protective and pathologic immune responses against Candida albicans infection.

Candida albicans is an important opportunistic fungal pathogen. Clinical observations have indicated that both innate and adaptive immune responses are involved in recovery from initial infection, but analysis in murine models has shown that the contribution of the two arms of the cellular immune response differ in oral, vaginal, and systemic infections. The relative contributions of T cells and phagocytic cells, and the cytokines that mediate their interactions are discussed for each of the different manifestations of the disease, and the consequences of infection, in terms of protection and pathology, are evaluated.