Immunity or Digestion

A Common Origin for Immunity and Digestion

Historically, the digestive and immune systems were viewed and studied as separate entities. However, there are remarkable similarities and shared functions in both nutrient acquisition and host defense. Here, I propose a common origin for both systems. This association provides a new prism for viewing the emergence and evolution of host defense mechanisms.

The Effects of Digestion on Innate Immunity

Commentary on: “A common origin for immunity and digestion”

Citation: van Niekerk G and Engelbrecht AM (2015) Commentary on: " A common origin for immunity and digestion. " Front. Microbiol. 6:531. We read with great interest the recent hypothesis forwarded by Broderick (2015). The underlying question addressed in her thesis is central to the field of evolutionary immunology: What drives immunological innovation? This question finds its most intriguing ...

Is Infant Immunity Actively Suppressed or Immature?

Almost 7 million children under the age 5 die each year, and most of these deaths are attributable to vaccine-preventable infections. Young infants respond poorly to infections and vaccines. In particular, dendritic cells secrete less IL-12 and IL-18, CD8pos T cells and NK cells have defective cytolysis and cytokine production, and CD4pos T cell responses tend to bias towards a Th2 phenotype an...

Parliamentary Immunity: Protecting Democracy or Protecting Corruption?*

ARECURRING question within contemporary democratic countries relates to whether parliamentary immunity only serves to protect the interests of representatives, rather than the interests of those they were elected to represent. With every act that is suspected of being corrupt (for example, accepting a bribe in return for asking a question or delivering a speech in parliament, failure to declare...