Toll-like Receptor 4 Polymorphisms and Aspergillosis in Stem-Cell Transplantation

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a central aspect of the innate immune response. Different TLRs are associated with the immune response to different infectious pathogens. In this retrospective analysis, an increased susceptibility to invasive aspergillosis was associated with certain polymorphisms in donor TLR4 in patients who received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant from an unrelated donor. An increased susceptibility to invasive aspergillosis was associated with certain polymorphisms in donor TLR4 in patients who received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplant from an unrelated donor. Over the past 20 years, invasive aspergillosis has become increasingly frequent among recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplants, with an incidence rate of up to 12%. 1 Despite the availability of new azole and echinochandin antifungal drugs, the outcome remains poor, with a 1-year mortality of 50 to 80%, making invasive aspergillosis one of the leading infection-related causes of death among recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplants. 1 , 2 Identification of patients who are at increased risk for infection before transplantation could facilitate the development of effective prevention strategies. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are transmembrane proteins on the surface of immune cells that detect conserved . . .