11–20 As the ablation of CD25-expressing cells almost uniformly augmented resistance with reduced recoverable in vivo pathogen

burden, Treg cells were appropriately described as ‘a dangerous necessity’ based on their detrimental roles in host defence and essential roles in sustaining immune tolerance.21 However, with the subsequent identification of Foxp3 as the lineage-defining marker for Treg cells, and the up-regulation of CD25 expression on activated T cells that occurs after infection, the conclusions of initial studies NVP-BGJ398 using CD25 expression as a surrogate marker for Treg cells deserve critical Selleck RG7420 re-evaluation using experimental strategies that identify and manipulate these cells based on Foxp3 expression. This review will summarize the recent literature describing infection outcomes and the immune response to infection using approaches that manipulate Treg cells based on Foxp3 expression, and frame these conclusions in the context of previous studies evaluating the importance of CD25+ CD4+ Treg cells and the epidemiology of human infection. Although an over-simplification, this analysis will be subdivided for pathogens that primarily cause acute versus persistent infection.

For each type of infection, the impacts resulting from the manipulation of Foxp3+ cells in infection outcomes, relevance of Foxp3+ Treg-cell antigen specificity and individual Foxp3+ cell intrinsic molecules in mediating immune suppression are discussed (Table 1). Lastly, how shifts in Treg-cell suppression Rolziracetam impact infection outcomes and our more basic understanding for how T cells are activated in vivo are also summarized. Pathogens that cause acute infection stimulate the activation of protective immune components almost immediately

after infection. When the pathogen dose or initial rate of pathogen replication are below a preset threshold (lethal dose), innate immune components keep the infection at bay until pathogen-specific adaptive immune effectors that more efficiently mediate pathogen eradication are expanded and mobilized. On the other hand, with higher inocula, these normally protective responses are overwhelmed and the host succumbs to infection. It is in this latter context that initial studies using Foxp3DTR transgenic mice that co-express the high-affinity human diphtheria toxin (DT) receptor with Foxp3, allowing Foxp3+ Treg cells to be selectively ablated with low-dose DT, first uncovered somewhat paradoxical protective roles for these cells in host defence.