Perforin-2 is dispensable for host defense against <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i> and <i>Candida albicans</i>

Humans encounter fungal pathogens daily and rely on innate immune cells to clear <i>Aspergillus fumigatus</i>, the leading cause of mold pneumonia worldwide, and <i>Candida albicans</i>, the most common cause of fungal bloodstream infections. The World Health Organization has classified <i>A. fumigatus</i> and <i>C. albicans</i> as critical priority fungal pathogens due to the emergence of drug resistance and the increasing number of susceptible individuals across the globe. The mechanisms by which innate immune cells clear these fungal pathogens remain incompletely defined. In this study, we examined the role of a pore-forming protein called Perforin-2 in host defense against these fungal pathogens, in part because Perforin-2 has been implicated in antibacterial host defense. Our findings reveal that Perforin-2 is dispensable for antifungal immunity against respiratory <i>A. fumigatus</i> and systemic <i>C. albicans</i> infections in mice, suggesting that the antimicrobial activity of Perforin-2 does not extend to these two fungal pathogens.