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Fungal Exposure and Asthma: IgE and Non-IgE-Mediated Mechanisms

  • Allergies and the Environment (M Hernandez, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Fungi are ubiquitous in indoor and outdoor environments and have been associated with respiratory disease including childhood and adult asthma. A growing body of evidence from human and animal studies has revealed a link between fungal exposure, especially indoor fungal exposure, with asthma initiation, persistence, and exacerbation. Despite the overwhelming evidence linking mold exposure and asthma, the mechanistic basis for the association has remained elusive. It is now clear that fungi need not be intact to impart negative health effects. Fungal components and fungal fragments are biologically active and contribute to asthma development and severity. Recent mechanistic studies have demonstrated that fungi are potent immunomodulators and have powerful effects on asthma independent of their potential to act as antigens. This paper will review the connection between fungal exposure and asthma with a focus on the immunological mechanisms underlying this relationship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Asthma Research, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave., MLC 7037, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Zhonghua Zhang & Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey

  2. Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Tiina Reponen

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey

Authors
  1. Zhonghua Zhang
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  2. Tiina Reponen
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  3. Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey
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Correspondence to Gurjit K. Khurana Hershey.

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Drs. Zhang, Reponen, and Hershey declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this manuscript.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Funding

2U19AI70235 (GKKH) and P30 ES006096 (TR)

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Allergies and the Environment

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Zhang, Z., Reponen, T. & Hershey, G.K.K. Fungal Exposure and Asthma: IgE and Non-IgE-Mediated Mechanisms. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 16, 86 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-016-0667-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-016-0667-9

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