Alveolar macrophages in pulmonary host defence the unrecognized role of apoptosis as a mechanism of intracellular bacterial killing.
Clin Exp Immunol 2013;
174:193-202. [PMID:
23841514 DOI:
10.1111/cei.12170]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Alveolar macrophages play an essential role in clearing bacteria from the lower airway, as the resident phagocyte alveolar macrophages must both phagocytose and kill bacteria, and if unable to do this completely must co-ordinate an inflammatory response. The decision to escalate the inflammatory response represents the transition between subclinical infection and the development of pneumonia. Alveolar macrophages are well equipped to phagocytose bacteria and have a large phagolysosomal capacity in which ingested bacteria are killed. The rate-limiting step in control of extracellular bacteria, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, is the capacity of alveolar macrophages to kill ingested bacteria. Therefore, alveolar macrophages complement canonical microbicidal strategies with an additional level of apoptosis-associated killing to help kill ingested bacteria.
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