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Trained through generations

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 19, pages 653–654 (2022)Cite this article

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The first scientists to coin the term “trained immunity” were Mihai G. Netea, Jessica Quintin, and Jos W.M. van der Meer in a ‘Perspective’ article in 2011 [2]. With the publication of vast amounts of experimental data and follow-up reviews, the concept that the innate immune system can develop a memory function in parallel to the well-recognized adaptive memory, mediated by B and T lymphocytes, is largely accepted. The cells that are responsible for trained immunity are mainly myeloid cells (monocytes, macrophages) and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), such as natural killer (NK) cells and helper ILCs [3]. Studies of trained immunity frequently focus on infections, revealing increased protection against the same or a different pathogen after the first encounter with a microbe.

Among the infectious agents investigated in this context, Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), an attenuated Mycobacterium bovis strain used in many countries as a protection against tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is predominant. This vaccination can indeed induce some cross-protection against other bacteria (nontuberculous mycobacteria, various agents of lower respiratory tract infections), fungi (Candida albicans), and viruses (among them the influenza A virus and possibly to some extent the agent of COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2) [4].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

    Neha D. Patil, Jonathan D. Turner, Mahesh S. Desai & Jacques Zimmer

  2. Odense Research Center for Anaphylaxis, Department of Dermatology and Allergy Center, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Mahesh S. Desai

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  1. Neha D. Patil
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  2. Jonathan D. Turner
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  3. Mahesh S. Desai
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  4. Jacques Zimmer
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Correspondence to Jacques Zimmer.

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Competing interests

MSD works as a consultant and an advisory board member at Theralution GmbH, Germany. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Patil, N.D., Turner, J.D., Desai, M.S. et al. Trained through generations. Cell Mol Immunol 19, 653–654 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-022-00846-5

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