Infectious Disease Immunology – Immunology at Illinois

In the era of antimicrobial resistance, infectious diseases pose an ever more significant challenge to both human and animal health, with dire consequences. Microbial pathogens and the host immune system have co-evolved for millions of years. The immune system has developed a complex repertoire of mechanisms to control microbial infection. Similarly, pathogens counter by developing a variety of mechanisms to inactivate or evade immune recognition. Therefore, an in-depth knowledge of how the immune system orchestrates responses to commensal and pathogenic microbes is crucial for understanding disease pathogenesis and progression, facilitating the development of novel therapeutics, and ultimately, informing the development of protective vaccines. Faculty and students in the Infectious Disease Immunology strive to define and characterize these antagonisms that will undoubtedly lead to improved treatment of infectious diseases in both humans and animals.