Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses known to cause illnesses that vary between the
common cold and more severe diseases to include severe acute respiratory syndrome …

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a multimeric collectin that is involved in innate immune
defense and expressed in pulmonary, as well as non-pulmonary, epithelia. SP-D exerts …

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the Golden
Syrian hamster causes lung pathology that resembles human coronavirus disease (COVID …

Abstract In 1977, Mason and Williams developed the concept of the alveolar epithelial type II
(AE2) cell as a defender of the alveolus. It is well known that AE2 cells synthesise, secrete …

Fungal spores are ubiquitous in the environment. However, exposure levels in workplaces
where mouldy materials are handled are much higher than in common indoor and outdoor …

Surfactant proteins SP-A and SP-D are hydrophilic, collagen-containing calcium-dependent
lectins, which appear to have a range of innate immune functions at pulmonary as well as …

SARS-CoV-2 started spreading toward the end of 2019 causing COVID-19, a disease that
reached pandemic proportions among the human population within months. The reasons for …

Alveolar macrophages (AM) are the most abundant antigen-presenting cells in the lungs,
and they play a critical role in regulating pulmonary immune responses to inhaled …

Aspergillus fumigatus is an ubiquitous, saprophytic mould that forms and releases airborne
conidia which are inhaled by humans on a daily basis. When the immune system is …

Highly pathogenic influenza H5N1 virus continues to pose a threat to public health. Although
the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of the H5N1 virus have not been fully defined …