Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40095363›Full record

Observational studyMycoses2025

Immune Phenotypes in Patients With Invasive Mould Infection Support the Use of PD-1 Inhibition as Potential Treatment Option.

Sibylle C Mellinghoff, Martin Thelen, Michael von Bergwelt-Baildon, Hans A Schlößer, Oliver A Cornely, Rosanne Sprute, Jannik Stemler, Leonie Mayer, Leonie Marie Weskamm, Monika Friedrich and 3 more

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Mycoses, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Sibylle C MellinghoffDepartment I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD) and Excellence Center for Medical Mycology (ECMM), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3928-2503
Martin ThelenCenter for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2785-9726
Michael von Bergwelt-BaildonDepartment III of Internal Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Hans A SchlößerCenter for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Oliver A CornelyDepartment I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD) and Excellence Center for Medical Mycology (ECMM), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9599-3137
Rosanne SpruteDepartment I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD) and Excellence Center for Medical Mycology (ECMM), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Jannik StemlerDepartment I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD) and Excellence Center for Medical Mycology (ECMM), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9152-2469
Leonie MayerDepartment of Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
Leonie Marie WeskammDepartment of Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
Monika FriedrichDepartment of Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
My Linh LyDepartment of Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
Christine DahlkeDepartment of Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
Marylyn M AddoDepartment of Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.

Funding

Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInvasive mould infections (IMI) cause substantial morbidity and mortality in populations at risk. Novel treatment approaches are urgently needed. Targeting immune checkpoints may reverse hyporesponsiveness of the innate and adaptive immune systems.

methodsIn this prospective, observational study, we investigated immune checkpoint expression levels on immune cells in patients with invasive aspergillosis (IA; n = 25) and mucormycosis (MU; n = 7). Healthy controls (HC; n = 5) and patients with matched haematological diseases but without IMI served as control populations (CP; n = 10). Multicolour flow cytometry analysis was used to compare immune cell subsets and the expression of immune-regulatory molecules in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

resultsLymphocyte subsets and immune phenotypes in PBMCs were similar between patients with IMI and haematological CP, except for regulatory T cells, which were increased in PBMCs of patients with IA and MU compared to HCs. In IA and MU, PBMCs showed increased expression of immune checkpoint molecules compared to healthy controls and matched haematological CP, with this effect being more pronounced in IA than in MU. We found heterogeneous, disease-, molecule-, and patient-specific expression patterns of immune checkpoint molecules. For example, PD-1 expression was highest in MU PBMCs, followed by IA PBMCs, while HC PBMCs showed lower expression levels. Overall mortality in our patient population was 44.0% (IPA) and 80.0% (MU).

conclusionsWe report an immune phenotype consistent with T-cell exhaustion in IMI, indicating potential contributions from haematological treatment, underlying disease, and infection. However, the primary underlying cause remains unclear and requires further investigation. A marker that was notably higher in IMI patients was PD-1, and treatment approaches specifically targeting this molecule may be promising.

Indexed as

AspergillosisImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsInvasive Fungal InfectionsMucormycosisProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorAdultAgedFemaleHumansLeukocytes, MononuclearLymphocyte SubsetsMaleMiddle AgedPhenotypeProspective StudiesImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsPDCD1 protein, humanProgrammed Cell Death 1 Receptoraspergillosisimmune checkpointmucormycosisPD‐1

Identifiers

PMID40095363
PMCPMC11912816

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.