Immunopathology and immune homeostasis during viral infection in insects

Abstract

Organisms clear infections by mounting an immune response that is normally turned off once the pathogens have been cleared. However, sometimes this immune response is not properly or timely arrested, resulting in the host damaging itself. This immune dysregulation may be referred to as immunopathology. While our knowledge of immune and metabolic pathways in insects, particularly in response to viral infections, is growing, little is known about the mechanisms that regulate this immune response and hence little is known about immunopathology in this important and diverse group of organisms. In this chapter we focus both on documenting the molecular mechanisms described involved in restoring immune homeostasis in insects after viral infections and on identifying potential mechanisms for future investigation. We argue that learning about the immunopathological consequences of an improperly regulated immune response in insects will benefit both insect and human health.

Keywords: Cytokine; Immune homeostasis; Immune response; Immunopathology; Inflammation; Insect; Negative feed-back loops; Persistent infections; Tissue damage; Viral infection.