Parasites and autoimmunity: the case of fungi

Infectious agents can induce autoimmune diseases in several experimental settings, some of which have clinical counterparts. A variety of mechanisms have been invoked to explain these observations, including molecular mimicry and an increase in the immunogenicity of autoantigens caused by inflammation in the target organ. Paradoxically, infectious agents can also suppress allergic and autoimmune disorders. A central question is to determine whether immune dysregulation precedes, if not promotes, infection or alternatively, but not mutually exclusive, the extent to which microbial exposure/colonization contributes to the burst of pathogenic autoimmunity. Here we discussed recent evidence with fungi that help to accommodate microbes, either commensals or ubiquitous, within the immune homeostasis and its dysregulation.