Aspergillus fumigatus is a saprotrophic fungus; its primary habitat is the soil. In its ecological
niche, the fungus has learned how to adapt and proliferate in hostile environments. This …

Pulmonary surfactant is essential for life as it lines the alveoli to lower surface tension,
thereby preventing atelectasis during breathing. Surfactant is enriched with a relatively …

Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the most ubiquitous of the airborne saprophytic fungi.
Humans and animals constantly inhale numerous conidia of this fungus. The conidia are …

Aspergillus species are globally ubiquitous saprophytes found in a variety of ecological
niches. Almost 200 species of aspergilli have been identified, less than 20 of which are …

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a multimeric collectin that is involved in innate immune
defense and expressed in pulmonary, as well as non-pulmonary, epithelia. SP-D exerts …

Collectins and ficolins, present in plasma and on mucosal surfaces, are humoral molecules
of the innate immune systems, which recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns …

Surfactant proteins, SP-A and SP-D, are collagen-containing C-type (calcium dependent)
lectins called collectins, which contribute significantly to surfactant homeostasis and …

During the past two decades, invasive fungal infections have emerged as a major threat to
immunocompromised hosts. Patients with neoplastic diseases are at significant risk for such …

▪ Abstract The lung collectins, SP-A and SP-D, are important components of the innate
immune response to microbial challenge and participate in other aspects of immune and …

Phagocytosis and mechanisms of killing of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia by murine alveolar
macrophages (AM), which are the main phagocytic cells of the innate immunity of the lung …