Abstract
Vitamin D is increasingly recognized as an important immune regulator. Schematically, vitamin D is a stimulator of innate immunity and a negative regulator of adaptive immunity. Its effects on anti-infectious responses may therefore be varied. Several epidemiological studies have linked vitamin D deficiency with the susceptibility to different acute infections, such as tuberculosis and upper and lower respiratory tract infections. In chronic infectious diseases characterized by an ongoing immune activation, in particular in HIV infection, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to increased inflammation, which could explain its association with poorer clinical outcomes. Few intervention trials have tested the effects of vitamin D supplementation in infectious diseases and the results were not always convincing. This article proposes a few guidelines that may help interprete these complex data.
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