Host and microbial cells as targets for armed antibodies in the treatment of infectious diseases.

There is a renewed interest in antibody-based therapy for infectious diseases. Antibodies armed with different cytotoxic agents such as toxins, drugs or radionuclides can specifically target virally infected host cells or microbes themselves, thus potentially providing new options for the treatment of infectious diseases. The technologies for arming antibodies with different cytotoxic agents are well advanced. Overall, armed antibody therapy provides an exciting new strategy that may potentially be useful against a variety of infectious diseases and tumors caused by microbial agents. This review highlights the use of armed antibodies to target infected host cells or to target the microbes themselves, describing challenges and future directions for both approaches.