SFTPD and infection: Similarly, C. neoformans utilizes secreted phospholipase B to improve its ability to adhere to pulmonary epithelial cells, likely through interactions between surfactant protein D (SP-D) and polysaccharides on the surface of the C. neoformans capsule (63); additionally, capsule components GXM and MP84 are known to facilitate the binding of different C. neoformans strains to airway epithelial cells (144), enabling C. neoformans to initiate infection at this primary immune barrier (145).