Acinetobacter baumannii Infection and IL-17 Mediated Immunity

Figure 1

Potential role of Th17 cells in A. baumannii (AB) infection. As depicted above, TLR ligands of AB can activate TLRs on DCs and/or macrophages from the host and provoke the release of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β and possibly IL-23. Naïve CD4 T cells differentiate into effector Th17 cells and produce Th17 signature cytokines. These cytokines include IL-17 signal epithelial cells at barrier tissues and exert antimicrobial function through 2 possible mechanisms: recruiting neutrophils and antimicrobial peptides.