Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), a rare inherited disorder of the innate immune system, results from mutations in any one of the five genes encoding the subunits of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase (NADPH) oxidase enzyme, and is characterized by recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections.
Patients with CGD are predisposed to recurrent bacterial and fungal infections because the superoxide-generating NADPH oxidase activity is needed for efficient killing of microbes.