Infection & Immunity

by Playfair, John; Bancroft, Gregory

• ISBN13: 9780199609505
• ISBN10: 0199609500
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-03-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Our immune system is a complex network of cells continually battling against a barrage of attacks from our environment, quite literally to save our lives. But how what protects us from the potentially life-threatening microorganisms that surround us every day? In the lucid, accessible style for which John Playfair is renowned, and together with Greg Bancroft, an expert in infectious diseases,Infection and Immunityexplains how our immune system defends us. The authors describe 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 in which we respond, from detection of potentially dangerous organisms to their ultimate elimination - sometimes, unfortunately, suffering new pathological symptoms in the process. Presenting a fully-rounded, well-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 increasing awareness through public health initiatives. With examples of infectious diseases from across the world,Infection and Immunityis the ideal text for biomedical science, bioscience, and microbiology students who need to understand the basics of what causes infection, and how our immune systems respond. Online Resource Centre The Online Resource Centre to acompany the book features: For students: DT Multiple choice questions to check your understanding as you progress through the text For registered adopters of the book: DT Figures from the book, ready to download

Table of Contents

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