Lung infections

Abstract

The first line of defense against invasion and dissemination of pathogens involves their recognition and elimination as well as an inflammatory and antiinflammatory response. These processes can be affected by polymorphisms of the genes involved. The magnitude of the inflammatory response against infection should be proportional and should be adequately compartmentalized. Plasma levels of inflammatory mediators are related to the severity of pneumonia and some of these markers seem promising for use in diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic management. Because pneumonia can progress due to an unbalanced inflammatory response, even when antibiotic therapy is provided, a logical strategy would be to attempt to attenuate the magnitude of this response through other therapeutic interventions. The most effective compounds are those able to stimulate early defenses and the elimination of new organisms without influencing the late phases of inflammatory injury.