Highlights of Mediterranean clinical immunology

The immune system continues to fascinate by the complexity of its intricacies. At the First Mediterranean Workshop on Clinical Immunology held in Evora (Portugal), recently identified mechanisms of immune defense and immunoregulation were put under a magnifying glass by an international cast of immunologists. Studies of Bacillus anthracis revealed that this anaerobic bacterium can inhibit type-II A phospholipase synthesis and secretion by alveolar macrophages, thereby subverting the pulmonary host immune response. Investigation of the mode of action of regulatory T cells indicated that FOXP3 binds the heterodimeric transcription factor AML1 and suppresses AML1-enhanced IL-2 production. In an experimental autoimmune model of prostatitis, a non-hypercalcemic vitamin D receptor agonist was able to interfere with key pathogenic events in already established disease. Other studies in the rat suggest that treating arthritis with oxidants, like phytol, may correct the deficient redox level and prevent T cell autoreactivity. With a number of other observations, the sparkling discussions opened new doors for medical immunology around the Mediterranean, but also elsewhere.