AUTHOR=Travassos Luiz R. , Taborda Carlos P. 

TITLE=Linear Epitopes of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and Other Fungal Agents of Human Systemic Mycoses As Vaccine Candidates

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00224

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2017.00224

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Dimorphic fungi are agents of systemic mycoses associated with significant morbidity and frequent lethality in the Americas. Among the pathogenic species are <italic>Paracoccidioides brasiliensis</italic> and <italic>Paracoccidioides lutzii</italic>, which predominate in South America; <italic>Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides posadasii</italic>, and <italic>Coccidioides immitis</italic>, and the <italic>Sporothrix</italic> spp. complex are other important pathogens. Associated with dimorphic fungi other important infections are caused by yeast such as <italic>Candida</italic> spp. and <italic>Cryptococcus</italic> spp. or mold such as <italic>Aspergillus</italic> spp., which are also fungal agents of deadly infections. Nowadays, the actual tendency of therapy is the development of a pan-fungal vaccine. This is, however, not easy because of the complexity of eukaryotic cells and the particularities of different species and isolates. Albeit there are several experimental vaccines being studied, we will focus mainly on peptide vaccines or epitopes of T-cell receptors inducing protective fungal responses. These peptides can be carried by antibody inducing β-(1,3)-glucan oligo or polysaccharides, or be mixed with them for administration. The present review discusses the efficacy of linear peptide epitopes in the context of antifungal immunization and vaccine proposition.</p>