Main description:

The top–selling short course book for undergraduates and medical students

Now in its Sixth Edition, this widely acclaimed textbook has been updated and revised to incorporate new findings in the field of immunology. Providing a concise yet thorough introduction to the subject, this text continues to provide complete coverage of all key topics in modern immunology without overburdening the reader with excessive detail or theoretical discussions. Each chapter is divided into short, self–contained units that address key topics illustrated by uniformly drawn, full–color illustrations many brand– new to this edition.

Immunology: A Short Course, Sixth Edition includes completely rewritten or new coverage of key topics such as: toll–like receptors, their ligands, and intracellular activation pathways; development of T–cell subsets; mucosal immunity; the role of activation–induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination; the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene in self–tolerance and autoimmunity; and complement activation pathways.

Each chapter is complemented with bulleted summaries and review questions with detailed answers. The book also contains an extensive glossary. Written in a clear, user–friendly style, this text is suitable for integrated courses that cover microbiology, immunology, and pathology, as well as focused immunology courses. An updated Web site provides relevant online resources including downloadable figures and tables used in the text.

Back cover:

The top–selling short course book for undergraduates and medical students

Now in its Sixth Edition, this widely acclaimed textbook has been updated and revised to incorporate new findings in the field of immunology. Providing a concise yet thorough introduction to the subject, this text continues to provide complete coverage of all key topics in modern immunology without overburdening the reader with excessive detail or theoretical discussions. Each chapter is divided into short, self–contained units that address key topics illustrated by uniformly drawn, full–color illustrations many brand– new to this edition.

Immunology: A Short Course, Sixth Edition includes completely rewritten or new coverage of key topics such as: toll–like receptors, their ligands, and intracellular activation pathways; development of T–cell subsets; mucosal immunity; the role of activation–induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination; the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene in self–tolerance and autoimmunity; and complement activation pathways.

Each chapter is complemented with bulleted summaries and review questions with detailed answers. The book also contains an extensive glossary. Written in a clear, user–friendly style, this text is suitable for integrated courses that cover microbiology, immunology, and pathology, as well as focused immunology courses. An updated Web site provides relevant online resources including downloadable figures and tables used in the text.

Contents:

About the Authors, xvii

Contributors, xviii

Preface and Acknowledgments, xix

1 OVERVIEW OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, 1

2 ELEMENTS OF INNATE AND ACQUIRED IMMUNITY, 11

3 IMMUNOGENS AND ANTIGENS, 29

4 ANTIBODY STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION, 41

5 ANTIGEN ANTIBODY INTERACTIONS, IMMUNE ASSAYS, AND EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEMS, 61

6 THE GENETIC BASIS OF ANTIBODY STRUCTURE, 81

7 BIOLOGY OF THE B LYMPHOCYTE, 93

8 ROLE OF THE MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX IN THE IMMUNE RESPONSE, 107

9 BIOLOGY OF THE T LYMPHOCYTE, 125

10 ACTIVATION AND FUNCTION OF T AND B CELLS, 141

11 CYTOKINES, 165

12 TOLERANCE AND AUTOIMMUNITY, 183

13 COMPLEMENT, 205

14 HYPERSENSITIVITY: TYPE I, 221

15 HYPERSENSITIVITY: TYPES II AND III, 237

16 HYPERSENSITIVITY: TYPE IV, 247

17 IMMUNODEFICIENCY DISORDERS AND NEOPLASIAS OF THE LYMPHOID SYSTEM, 255

18 TRANSPLANTATION, 285

19 TUMOR IMMUNOLOGY, 299

20 RESISTANCE AND IMMUNIZATION TO INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 313

Glossary, 337

Appendix: Partial List of CD Antigens, 365

Index, 369