Host-Pathogen Interaction

These recombinant antigens can be used for diagnosis and patient monitoring using enzyme immunoassay techniques. In certain diseases, the host immune response may be compromised, either because AP manages to evade immune defences and replicate via immunological pathways similar to those of tumours, or because the host immune system is weakened (patients with hematologic cancers, patients with solid organ or hematopoietic stem cell transplants, HIV-infected patients, or patients treated with biotherapies). In these cases, it is not possible to quantify the host immune response, and the strategy is to detect PA components (antigenic biomarkers or DNA) directly in clinical samples in order to make a diagnosis using immunoenzymological or molecular biology techniques. Finally, the interactions between the host and its microbiota (intestine, vagina) are now recognised as a crucial factor in the emergence and development of pathologies. Researchers in this field are therefore investigating the relationships between the host microbiota, nutrition, and stimulation of immune defences (bioprotection, bionutrition). This work should lead to a better understanding of how changes in the microbiota (through drugs or diet) can affect host health status and response to treatment.