Boston University School of Medicine, The Pulmonary Center, 72 East Concord Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012 Nov 1;186(9):824-9. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201206-1063PP. Epub 2012 Jul 12.
Acute lower respiratory tract infection is responsible for an inordinate disease burden. Pulmonary immunity determines the outcomes of these infections. The innate and adaptive immune responses to microbes in the lung are critical to maintaining a healthy respiratory system and preventing pulmonary disease. In addition to balancing antimicrobial defense against the risk of lung injury during the immediate infection, the shaping of pulmonary immunity by respiratory infection contributes to the pathophysiology of many and even perhaps most chronic pulmonary diseases. This Pulmonary Perspective aims to communicate two interconnected points. First, tremendous morbidity and mortality result from inadequate, misguided, or excessive pulmonary immunity. Second, our understanding of pulmonary immunity is at an exciting stage of rapid developments and discoveries, but many questions remain. Further advances in pulmonary immunity and elucidation of the cellular and molecular responses to microbes in the lung are needed to develop novel approaches to predicting, preventing, and curing respiratory disease.
急性下呼吸道感染造成了巨大的疾病负担。肺部免疫决定了这些感染的结局。肺部对微生物的固有和适应性免疫反应对于维持健康的呼吸系统和预防肺部疾病至关重要。除了平衡抗菌防御与肺部损伤风险之间的平衡外，呼吸道感染对肺部免疫的塑造还导致了许多甚至可能是大多数慢性肺部疾病的发病机制。本《肺部视角》旨在传达两个相互关联的观点。首先，肺部免疫不足、误导或过度会导致极高的发病率和死亡率。其次，我们对肺部免疫的理解正处于快速发展和发现的令人兴奋的阶段，但仍有许多问题亟待解决。进一步深入研究肺部免疫以及阐明肺部微生物的细胞和分子反应，对于开发预测、预防和治疗呼吸道疾病的新方法非常必要。
