Infections in Inborn Errors of STATs

The Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway is highly conserved and essential for numerous biological functions triggered by extracellular signals, including cell proliferation, metabolism, immune response, and inflammation. Defects in STATs, either loss-of-function or gain-of-function defects, lead to a broad spectrum of clinical phenotypes in humans, including a wide range of infectious complications. The susceptibility to pathogens can stem from defects in immune cells within the hematopoietic compartment, impaired barrier functions of non-hematopoietic compartment, or a combination of both, depending on the specific STAT defect as well as the pathogen exposure history. Effective management involves antimicrobial prophylaxis tailored to the patient’s infection risk and improving disease control with targeted therapies and/or hematopoietic cell transplantation.