The upregulation of immune checkpoint molecules, such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4), on immune cells occurs during acute infections, such as malaria, as well as during chronic persistent viral infections, including HIV and hepatitis B virus. These pathways are important for preventing immune-driven pathology but can also limit immune-mediated clearance of the infection. The recent success of immune checkpoint blockade in cancer therapy suggests that targeting these pathways would also be effective for preventing and treating a range of infectious diseases. Here, we review our current understanding of immune checkpoint pathways in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases and discuss the potential for therapeutically targeting these pathways in this setting.

免疫细胞上的免疫检查点分子，如程序性细胞死亡蛋白 1 (PD1) 和细胞毒性 T 淋巴细胞抗原 4 (CTLA4) 上调，发生在疟疾等急性感染期间，以及 HIV 等慢性持续性病毒感染期间。和乙型肝炎病毒。这些途径对于预防免疫驱动的病理学很重要，但也可以限制免疫介导的感染清除。最近免疫检查点阻断在癌症治疗中的成功表明，针对这些途径也可有效预防和治疗一系列传染病。在这里，我们回顾了目前对传染病发病机制中免疫检查点通路的理解，并讨论了在这种情况下针对这些通路进行治疗的潜力。