@article{f3c2768a3ab64164b47f5f8fffbf35fc,
title = "Activation status of airway immune cells is a defining feature of severe asthma, regardless of fungal sensitisation",
abstract = "Airborne fungi are potent inducers of respiratory disease and cause the debilitating conditions severe asthma with fungal sensitisation (SAFS) and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). However, the immune cell types and the inflammatory airway environment that defines SAFS and ABPA patients is not extensively characterised. To address this, we recruited SAFS and ABPA patients, asthmatics without evidence of fungal sensitisation and healthy controls (n = 20 individuals per group). Immune cells were isolated from collected sputum and peripheral blood samples and immunophenotyping was performed via flow cytometry. By applying a machine learning approach to our dataset, we identify a critical association between CD4+ T cells, type 2 conventional dendritic cells, eosinophils, proinflammatory factors and severe respiratory disease. These complex immune signatures should be investigated further to improve the diagnostics and treatment of SAFS and ABPA.",
keywords = "Asthma, Sputum, T cells, Dendritic cells, Eosinophils",
author = "Plumpton, \{Emily L.\} and Colombo, \{Stefano A. P.\} and Matthew Steward and Brown, \{Sheila L.\} and Saba Khan and Ga{\"e}l Tavernier and Helen Francis and Hazel Platt and Tracy Hussell and Horsnell, \{William G. C.\} and Denning, \{David W.\} and Robert Niven and Angela Simpson and MacDonald, \{Andrew S.\} and Cook, \{Peter C.\}",
note = "The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. For the purposes of open access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. \_CRediT authorship contribution statement\_ Emily L. Plumpton: Writing – review \& editing, Writing – original draft, Formal analysis, Data curation, Visualization. Stefano A.P. Colombo: Visualization, Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing – review \& editing. Matthew Steward: Writing – original draft, Formal analysis, Data curation. Sheila L. Brown: Methodology, Investigation. Saba Khan: Methodology, Investigation. Ga{\"e}l Tavernier: Methodology, Investigation. Helen Francis: Investigation. Hazel Platt: Methodology, Investigation. Tracy Hussell: Methodology, Investigation. William Horsnell: Writing – review \& editing, Writing – original draft. David Denning: Investigation. Robert Niven: Investigation. Angela Simpson: Methodology, Investigation. Andrew S. MacDonald: Investigation, Conceptualization. Peter C. Cook: Writing – review \& editing, Writing – original draft, Validation, Supervision, Project administration, Methodology, Investigation, Funding acquisition, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization.",
year = "2025",
month = nov,
day = "19",
doi = "10.1016/j.mucimm.2025.11.004",
language = "English",
journal = "Mucosal Immunology",
issn = "1933-0219",
publisher = "Elsevier",
}