Host Defenses to Viruses: Lessons from Inborn Errors of Immunity
Lucia Leonardi,
Beatrice Rivalta,
Fabrizio Leone,
Caterina Cancrini,
Carlo Caffarelli,
Gian Luigi Marseglia,
Fabio Cardinale
Affiliations
Lucia Leonardi
Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Beatrice Rivalta
Research Unit of Primary Immunodeficiencies, Academic Department of Pediatrics, Immune and Infectious Diseases Division, Bambino Gesuù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Fabrizio Leone
Maternal, Infantile and Urological Sciences Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
Caterina Cancrini
Research Unit of Primary Immunodeficiencies, Academic Department of Pediatrics, Immune and Infectious Diseases Division, Bambino Gesuù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Carlo Caffarelli
Pediatric Clinic, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy
Gian Luigi Marseglia
Pediatric Clinic, Fondazione IRCSS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Fabio Cardinale
Department of Pediatrics, University of Bari, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria “Consorziale-Policlinico”, Ospedale Pediatrico Giovanni XXIII, 70123 Bari, Italy
The constant battle between viruses and their hosts leads to their reciprocal evolution. Viruses regularly develop survival strategies against host immunity, while their ability to replicate and disseminate is countered by the antiviral defense mechanisms that host mount. Although most viral infections are generally controlled by the host’s immune system, some viruses do cause overt damage to the host. The outcome can vary widely depending on the properties of the infecting virus and the circumstances of infection but also depends on several factors controlled by the host, including host genetic susceptibility to viral infections. In this narrative review, we provide a brief overview of host immunity to viruses and immune-evasion strategies developed by viruses. Moreover, we focus on inborn errors of immunity, these being considered a model for studying host response mechanisms to viruses. We finally report exemplary inborn errors of both the innate and adaptive immune systems that highlight the role of proteins involved in the control of viral infections.
