Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is a rare but potentially treatable disease, characterized by impaired surfactant metabolism that leads to accumulation in the alveoli of proteinaceous material rich in surfactant protein and its component. Novel insights from an animal model aided the discovery of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) antibodies as a pathogenetic mechanism in human pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. The vast...