Scientists from mainly French and Spanish universities and institutes recently described an extraordinary situation within a natural setting of human infection. Nine children, carrying an autosomal recessive MyD88 deficiency, suffered from pyogenic bacterial infections. The infections were life-threatening and often recurred, among them invasive pneumococcal disease.

MyD88 is a downstream adaptor for most Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and interleukin-1 receptors (IL-1Rs). Both are required for identification of pathogens and immune reactions. In infection experiments with mice, MyD88 deficiency caused increased sensitivity to a wide spectrum of pathogens.

The nine children were, besides their MyD88 deficiency, healthy and showed normal resistance to other microbes. Their clinical status improved when they grew older, but apparently not due to improvement of MyD88 deficiency on a cellular level. The MyD88-dependent TLRs and IL-1 receptors are therefore indispensable for protective immunity against a few pyogenic bacteria but not for defence against most natural infections.

Related antibodies on antibodies-online.com:

MyD88

Toll-like receptors (TLR)

Interleukin receptor type I

Interleukin receptor type II

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