The coagulation system in host defense

• Published in: Research and practice in thrombosis and haemostasis Vol. 2; no. 3; pp. 549 - 557
• Main Author: Antoniak, Silvio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.07.2018; Elsevier Limited; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Anticoagulants; Bacteria; Bacterial infections; Blood platelets; coagulation; E coli; hemostasis; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; infection; inflammation; Lungs; Mortality; Neutrophils; Online‐only; Pathogens; peritonitis; Pneumonia; Review; Sepsis; Streptococcus infections; T cell receptors; Thrombosis; Viral infections; infection; hemostasis; pneumonia; inflammation; peritonitis; coagulation
• ISSN: 2475-0379; 2475-0379
• DOI: 10.1002/rth2.12109

The blood coagulation system and immune system of higher organisms are thought to have a common ancestral origin. During infections, the blood coagulation system is activated and components of the hemostatic system are directly involved in the immune response and immune system modulations. The current view is that the activation of coagulation is beneficial for infections with bacteria and viruses. It limits pathogen dissemination and supports pathogen killing and tissue repair. On the other hand, over‐activation can lead to thrombosis with subsequent depletion of hemostatic factors and secondary bleeding. This review will summarize the current knowledge on blood coagulation and pathogen infection with focus on most recent studies of the role of the different parts of the blood coagulation system in selected bacterial and viral infections.