Polyclonal B cell activation in infections: infectious agents’ devilry or defense mechanism of the host?

MONTES CL; ACOSTA RODRIGUEZ EV; MERINO MC; BERMEJO DA; GRUPPI A

JOURNAL OF LEUKOCYTE BIOLOGY

Año: 2007 p. 1027 - 1027

0741-5400

b> Polyclonal B cell activation is not a peculiar characteristic to a particular infection, as many viruses, bacteria, and parasites induce a strong polyclonal B cell response resulting in hyper- -globulinemia. Here, we discuss the different roles proposed for polyclonal B cell activation, which can be crucial for early host defense against rapidly dividing microorganisms by contributing antibodies specific for a spectrum of conserved structures present in the pathogens. In addition, polyclonal B cell activation can be responsible for maintenance of memory B cell responses because of the continuous, unr