Influenza Virus
Respiratory tract infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Influenza A virus causes both epidemic and pandemic respiratory disease causing thousands of deaths each year. Though necessary for virus clearance, over exuberant T cell responses can contribute significantly to the pulmonary injury that occurs during these infections. We are interested in studying the immune response to this important human pathogen and gaining of better understanding of the mechanisms of T cell-mediated immunopathology.