AUTHOR=Li Xinying , Körner Heinrich , Liu Xiaoying 

TITLE=Susceptibility to Intracellular Infections: Contributions of TNF to Immune Defense

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01643

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2020.01643

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>An interesting puzzle is the fact that an infection of a tumor necrosis factor α (TNF)-deficient host with pathogens such as bacteria or parasites that reside intracellularly inevitably ends fatally. Is this due to one specific role of TNF in the immune defense or are different functions responsible for this outcome? In this review we provide an update of the functions of TNF in the defense against the intracellular pathogens <italic>Listeria monocytogenes</italic>, <italic>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</italic>, and <italic>Leishmania major</italic>. Furthermore, we discuss the role of TNF in the generation of proinflammatory macrophages in mouse models of infection and summarize briefly the potential consequences of anti-TNF treatment for infectious diseases.</p>