Main description:

Our immune system is a complex network of cells continually working against a barrage of attack from our environment quite literally to save our lives. But how do our bodies protect us from the bacteria, and other potentially life-threatening organisms, that surround us every day? Infection and Immunity, third edition, explains how, in the lucid, accessible style for which John Playfair is renowned. Together with Greg Bancroft, an expert in infectious diseases, Playfair describes the main causes of infection that our bodies have to battle against - from bacteria to viruses, fungi to protozoa - and explains the intricate and fascinating ways that our bodies respond to infection - from detection of these potentially dangerous organisms, to their ultimate elimination. Presenting a fully-rounded, perfectly-balanced overview of the field, the book also explains how diseases spread, and what measures we can take to control this spread - from vaccination to increased awareness through public health initiatives.With examples of infectious diseases from across the world, Infection and Immunity is perfect for biomedical science, bioscience and microbiology students who need to understand what causes infection, and how our immune systems respond.
Online Resource Centre The Online Resource Centre features * Figures from the book, ready to download (for registered adopters) - Hyperlinks to primary literature articles cited in the text

Contents:

1. THE INFECTIOUS ORGANISMS; 1. Introduction: parasites, pathogens, and immunity; 2. Viruses; 3. Bacteria; 4. Fungi; 5. Protozoa; 6. Helminths (worms); 7. Prions; 8. Disease: virulence and susceptibility; 2. THE IMMUNE SYSTEM; 9. Defence, immunity, the immune system; 10. External defences: entry and exit; 11. Innate immunity; 12. How pathogens escape innate immunity; 13. Disease due to innate immunity; 14. Immunodeficiency I: primary defects of innate immunity; 15. Adaptive immunity: introduction; 16. B cells and antibody; 17. T cells and the MHC; 18. The antibody response; 19. Cell-mediated responses; 20. Regulation of immune responses and memory; 21. How pathogens escape adaptive immunity; 22. Disease due to adaptive immunity I: hypersensitivity; 23. Disease due to adpative immunity II: autoimmunity; 24. Immunodeficiency II: primary defects of adpative immunity; 25. Immunodeficiency III: secondary immunodeficiency and AIDS; 3. THE HOST-PATHOGEN BALANCE; 26. Epidemiology; 27. Control of infectious disease: vaccination; 28. Control of infectious disease: chemotherapy; 29. Control of infectious disease: public health measures; 30. Viral and prion disease and immunity; 31. Bacterial disease and immunity; 32. Fungal disease and immunity; 33. Protozoal disease and immunity; 34. Helminth disease and immunity; 35. Emerging and future infectious diseases