{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T17:01:21Z","timestamp":1772643681899,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,23]],"date-time":"2025-04-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1745366400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Recent immunological studies of vaginal candidiasis in African populations have revealed complex host\u2012pathogen interactions with implications for therapeutic development and HIV acquisition risk.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This scoping review synthesized evidence from Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, and Kenya between 2020 and 2024, focusing on immune responses, cellular dynamics, and tissue effects due vulvovaginal candidiasis.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Analysis revealed a coordinated inflammatory response marked by elevated levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1\u03b2 and IL-6 and increased chemokine IL-8-mediated immune cell recruitment. Compared with those in control individuals, distinct T-cell population patterns in colonized individuals show reduced Th17-like CD4+ T-cell activation, with concurrent increases in Th1\/Th2-enriched CD4+ T cells. Molecular analysis revealed that 162 differentially expressed genes were involved primarily in neutrophil-mediated immunity and cytokine signaling pathways. Despite robust immune activation, tissue integrity remained intact, accompanied by elevated antimicrobial peptides SLPI and BD-2. Notably, Candida-colonized individuals presented reduced frequencies of HIV target cells (CCR5\u2009+\u2009HLA-DR\u2009+\u2009CD4\u2009+\u2009T cells).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>These findings advance our understanding of population-specific immune responses to vaginal candidiasis and identify promising therapeutic targets, highlighting the need for longitudinal studies to characterize vulvovaginal candidiasis immunopathogenesis fully in African populations.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0322072","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,23]],"date-time":"2025-04-23T17:25:19Z","timestamp":1745429119000},"page":"e0322072","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Immune responses to vaginal candidiasis in African women: A scoping review of cytokine profiles, T-cell activation, and gene 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