Search

Milestones in Immunology: Based on Collected Papers contains scientific milestones relating to the history of medicine over the past two centuries. The book highlights the contributions of pioneering scientists whose discoveries have paved the way for researchers working in the field of immunology. As the science of immunology grew from knowledge that survivors of common infectious diseases rarely contracted them again, the book uses this as a central thesis, helping readers understand how the adaptive immune system aids in defense against pathogens. In addition, the book covers special fields, such as immunohistochemistry, immunogenetics and immunopathology. For the past century, immunology has fascinated and inspired some of the greatest scientists of our time. Numerous Nobel Prizes have been awarded for fundamental discoveries in immunology, from Paul Ehrlich'work on antibodies (1908) to the studies of Zinkernagel and Doherty (1986) elucidating mechanisms of cell-mediated immunity. Provides on update on developments since the publication of Nobel prize winning research for fundamental discoveries in immunology Discusses the changing theories and technologies that guided the field Lists all the important discoveries and books in the field Explains, in detail, the many Nobel prize-winning contributions of immunologists Provides recognition of the scientists who were pioneers of landmark discoveries in immunology

Mycology, the study of fungi, originated as a subdiscipline of botany and was a descriptive discipline, largely neglected as an experimental science until the early years of this century. A seminal paper by Blakeslee in 1904 provided evidence for self-incompatibility, termed'heterothallism', and stimulated interest in studies related to the control of sexual reproduction in fungi by mating-type specificities. Soon to follow was the demonstration that sexually reproducing fungi exhibit Mendelian inheritance and that it was possible to conduct formal genetic analysis with fungi. The names Burgeff, Kniep and Lindegren are all associated with this early period of fungal genetics research. These studies and the discovery of penicillin by Fleming, who shared a Nobel Prize in 1945, provided further impetus for experimental research with fungi. Thus began a period of interest in mutation induction and analysis of mutants for bio­ chemical traits. Such fundamental research, conducted largely with Neurospora crassa, led to the one gene: one enzyme hypothesis and to a second Nobel Prize for fungal research awarded to Beadle and Tatum in 1958. Fundamental research in biochemical genetics was extended to other fungi, especially to Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and by the mid-1960s fungal systems were much favored for studies in eukaryotic molecular biology and were soon able to compete with bacterial systems in the molecular arena.

Findings concerning various clinical manifestations in cattle and sheep have made it clear that pestivirus infections in ruminants have an economic impact similar to hog cholera. Early data justified the classification of pestiviruses as a genus of nonarthopod-borne togaviruses. Since pestiviruses are difficult to work with, progress in understanding the virus and disease gradually came to a standstill because conventional techniques failed to yield further insights. About ten years ago interest in pestivirology was revived by strong impulses of modern biotechnology and a breakthrough in pathogenesis research, i.e. in vitro translation of BVD viral proteins and the ex experimental reproduction of mucosal disease in cattle. In order to summarize and discuss these exciting developments, an international community of pestivirus researchers came together in June 1990 in Hannover (Federal Republic of Germany) for the Symposium'Ruminant Pestivirus Infections: Virology, Pathogenesis and Perspectives on Prophylaxis'. This book is a selection of papers presented at this symposium.

Although digenetic trematodes have been largely neglected, they constitute a major group of helminths that parasitize human and animals causing significant morbidity and mortality. This is of special importance today, since the geographical limits and the populations at risk, traditionally limited to developing or low-income countries, are currently expanding and changing in relation to factors such as growing international markets, improved transportation systems, and demographic changes. This has led to a growing international interest in trematode infections, although factors such as the difficulties entailed in the diagnosis, the complexity of human and agricultural practices, the lack of assessments of economic costs, or the limited number of effective drugs are preventing the development of control measures of these diseases in humans and livestock. In-depth studies are needed to clarify the current epidemiology of these helminth infections and to identify new and specific targets for both effective diagnosis and treatments. The main goal of the third edition of this book is to present the major trematodes and their corresponding diseases in the framework of modern parasitology, considering matters such as the application of novel techniques and analysis of data in the context of host-parasite interactions and also with the resident microbiota, showing the application of modern techniques and concepts to the studies on digenetic trematodes. This is an ideal book for parasitologists, microbiologists, zoologists, immunologists, public health professionals, clinicians and graduate and post-graduate students.

The Latin American region has been at the forefront in combating infections caused by Escherichia coli strains in humans, animals, and the environment. The continuous emergence and evolution of pathogenic E. coli strains associated with human and animal infections have demonstrated that (i) groups of related pathogenic E. coli are responsible for most infections caused by this bacterial species; (ii) diverse virulence phenotypes expressed during infection defined each one of these pathogroups; (iii) the geographical distribution of pathogroups in Latin America and the evolution of new isolates was defined by the dominant pathogroup and presence of distinct virulence strains; (iv) acquisition of mobile elements or accumulation of point mutations accelerate the development of antibiotic resistance in some of these strains. The Latin American Coalition for Escherichia coli Research (LACER), a multidisciplinary network of over seventy research groups in eleven Latin American countries and the USA, was established in 2009 to apply One Health principles in defining and combating this pathogen. The previous edition of this text, Escherichia coli in the Americas (c. 2016) was the culmination of their wisdom about E. coli, from its role as a commensal bacterium to its characteristics as a pathogen causing disease in animals and humans. This new edition presents recent advances and contextualizes all aspects of E. coli in a One Health perspective, from the environment, to animals, to humans. It addresses E. coli interactions with host microbiota, CNS, and phages. It includes cutting edge insights on hybrid strains, molecular mechanisms of virulence and pathogenesis, resistance, domestic and wild reservoirs, disease surveillance in Latin America, genomic analysis, food safety, and new therapies. Crucially, it also provides translations and analysis of key reports on Escherichia colipublished in Spanish and Portuguese. This book serves as a critical resource for scientists in industry and academia, clinicians managing associated infections, and trainees and students studying basic and clinical aspects of E. coli pathogenesis.

The fourth edition of “Textbook of Microbiology and Immunology” is an extensively revised edition, a healthy mixture of the old and the new contents. Many of the old traditional chapters have been retained with addition of new information along with the inclusion of new chapters more in line with the on-going changes in the syllabus and concepts in Medical Microbiology.While doing so, this book has blended the traditional organism-based learning and a syndrome based approach to infectious disease, together with the introduction of new and modified chapters incorporating the latest information in this field.The book provides an extensive coverage of fundamental topics in general and medical microbiology. The book also lays due emphasis on clinical microbiology with special focus on syndrome based approach to infectious diseases. It includes the basic concepts of microbiology as well as the recent updates and developments in the field of medical microbiology. All the topics havebeen incorporated in seven major sections: General microbiology, Immunology, Bacteriology, Virology, Mycology, and Applied and Clinical Microbiology.The dynamic nature of medical sciences with new guidelines and new diagnostic methods coming into the arena necessitates the incorporation of new information in each new edition of a book. This facet has been addressed with the inclusion of recent information on the various aspects of microbiology, infectious diseases and immunology, in the fourth edition of the Textbook of Microbiology and Immunology,which makes it one of the most authoritative and informative textbooks in medical microbiology.The book is an effort to inform and engage a wide spectrum of readers including medical students, both undergraduates and postgraduates, and residents, and faculty. It aims to be a must-have companion book for graduate and advanced undergraduate as well as postgraduate students of medical microbiology, general and allied microbiology, and of immunology.

This timely book discusses antimicrobial drug resistance, specifically, the resistance against the beta-lactam class of antibiotics by Gram-Negative bacteria. The book is broadly divided into five sections. The first section describes the underlying mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. It gives an insight into the beta-lactamases, their types, classification, inhibitors, etc. The second section delves deep into the genetic basis of resistance. It talks about transposons, integrons, insertion sequences associated with antibiotic-resistant genes. The next section describes phenotypic and molecular methods to detect beta-lactam resistance. The fourth section talks about the epidemiology and prevalence of beta-lactamases in the environment. The last section of the book describes the various therapeutic options to combat this growing public threat of antimicrobial resistance. It talks about the current reserve drugs, as well as the newer antibiotic agents that are in the pipeline. This book is essential for clinical practitioners, students, and researchers in basic and medical microbiology.

This book is designed to provide easy-to-read and basic information about vaccines for those undertaking a vaccine course or for medical providers seeking to improve their skills. Written by expert medical educators in the areas of infectious diseases, medical microbiology, and pediatrics, this book begins by establishing the fundamentals of vaccines such as what constitutes a vaccine, how they are manufactured and composed, how they are tested for safety and efficacy, and how vaccine recommendations are developed and conveyed to health care providers and their patients. The book then explains the composition, safety profile, effectiveness, and current recommendations for use of every available vaccine, alphabetized by infection. The concluding section illuminates practical concerns every vaccinating clinician experiences, including vaccine confidence and hesitancy, misconceptions, and patient communication. Vaccines: A Clinical Overview and Practical Guideis an excellent learning tool for all students and providers administering vaccines to patients, including infectious disease specialists and other internal medicine subspecialists, pediatricians, geriatricians, as well as all other primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician's assistants, and nurses.

In diesem Lehrbuch wird die medizinische Mikrobiologie von den allgemeinen Grundlagen über die Immunologie, die Diagnostik bis hin zur Chemotherapie dargestellt. Dabei sind die Kapitel zu den einzelnen Erregern besonders übersichtlich gestaltet. Um den klinischen Bezug deutlich zu machen, gibt es eine eigene große Sektion zu den Krankheitsbildern. Ein durchdachtes Konzept macht das Lernen leicht: Erreger-Steckbriefe zum schnellen LernenFallbeispieleZusammenfassungen am KapitelendeZahlreiche klinische AbbildungenEnge Vernetzung zwischen Erreger-Kapiteln und den Krankheitsbildern durch viele Querverweise Sämtliche Teilbereiche des Fachgebietes sind enthalten: Grundlagen, Immunologie, Diagnostik, Epidemiologie, Prävention, Hygiene, Bakteriologie, Virologie, Mykologie, Parasitologie, Chemotherapie, wichtige KrankheitsbilderDie HerausgeberProfessor Sebastian Suerbaum ist Vorstand des Lehrstuhls für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Krankenhaushygiene am Max von Pettenkofer-Institut der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Professor Gerd-Dieter Burchard ist tätig im Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin in Hamburg.Professor Thomas Schulz ist Direktor des Instituts für Virologie der Medizinischen Hochschule HannoverProfessor Stefan H.E. Kaufmann ist Direktor am Max-Planck-Institut für Infektionsbiologie in Berlin.

Immunology has emerged as a key component of the curricula of graduate and postgraduate courses in biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and other interdisciplinary fields of biology, including zoology, veterinary science, and medicine. As a basic introductory textbook on one of the fastest-moving and most challenging areas of immunological science, this book contains the most recent information about immunologic mechanisms and their importance, along with various molecular techniques employed in immunology. The short and concise text helps make the structures, processes, and interactions of the immune system easily comprehensible. The book includes chapters on immunoinformatics as well as the immune system of the brain, rarely found in any of the immunology books published so far. Many diverse and interesting aspects of the advances in immunology have also been covered, including tumor immunology and immunodeficiency disorders. The easy-to-understand concepts presented in the textbook make it an ideal companion for learners preparing for competitive and other examinations. Undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students, people from the industry and academia, and research scholars will immensely benefit from it.

Introductory Immunology: Basic Concepts for Interdisciplinary Applications, Second Edition is a completely updated, revised and expanded resource on the immune system as a primary defense for the maintenance of health and homeostasis. The book highlights the components of the human immune system and how they work together to confer protection against pathogenic invaders. It also creates an understanding of the basis for clinical tests and immune therapeutics and their importance in identifying and treating disease states. This updated edition will strengthen the foundation required to understand the placement of immune function within clinical practice, thus allowing a basic platform to define therapeutic treatments. Creates appreciation for the components of the human immune system that work together to confer lifelong protection Provides core knowledge in immunology to build a foundation to explore mechanisms involved in clinical disease Breaks down all immunology concepts into manageable, logically digestible building blocks Geared toward readers without medical, biochemical or cellular expertise Includes a glossary that provides functional definitions of complex terms

This book primarily covers the general description of foodborne pathogens and their mechanisms of pathogenesis, control and prevention, and detection strategies, with easy-to-comprehend illustrations. The book is an essential resource for food microbiology graduate or undergraduate students, microbiology professionals, and academicians involved in food microbiology, food safety, and food defense-related research or teaching. This new edition covers the significant progress that has been made since 2008 in understanding the pathogenic mechanism of some common foodborne pathogens, and the host-pathogen interaction. Foodborne and food-associated zoonotic pathogens, responsible for high rates of mortality and morbidity, are discussed in detail. Chapters on foodborne viruses, parasites, molds and mycotoxins, and fish and shellfish are expanded. Additionally, chapters on opportunistic and emerging foodborne pathogens including Nipah virus, Ebola virus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Brucella abortus, Clostridium difficile, Cronobacter sakazakii, and Plesiomonas shigelloides have been added. The second edition contains more line drawings, color photographs, and hand-drawn illustrations.

Advances in Immunology, Volume 140, the latest in a long-established and highly respected publication, presents current developments and comprehensive reviews in immunology. Articles address the wide range of topics that comprise immunology. Contains contributions from leading authorities in immunology Informs and updates on the latest developments in the field of immunology

Provided here are both reviews and recent results of studies with medically important fungi. Throughout the volume, outstanding mycologists treat the ecological role of pathogenic fungi, how they cause disease, their interactions with the immune system, and their responses to antifungal agents. Most of the presented results are based on molecular biological approaches: areas where classical and descriptive methods are applied are also included.

Phagocytic cells and complement are probably the most important components of host defense against bacteria which, after overcoming the mucosal and epithelial barriers, multiply in the subepithelial tissue and may threaten to disseminate and invade the blood stream and different organs. Questions concerning the factors which regulate the interactions of the bacterial cell with host defenses are a challenge to research and lead to practical applications for the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of infectious diseases. The questions of expression and regulation of virulence related bacterial genes and gene products, the specific mechanisms of defence reactions by complement and phagocytic cells, their mutual interactions with bacteria and especially bacterial surfaces are focused. Considerations on how to translate this knowledge into the management of infectious diseases are also included.

Antigen presentation is central to the immune response, and is instrumental in ensuring that the response mounted is that best suited to the eradication of the particular microbe faced. In this volume, experts in the field provide state-of-the-art descriptions of the antigen presentation pathways. How do viruses disrupt these critical pathways, and to what effect? Do all tissues present antigen in the same way? If not, why? What are the consequences of dysfunctional antigen presentation, seen in certain genetic disorders? This book considers not only the molecular details, but also their relevance to the whole organism.

Presenting the basic concepts and clinical implications of respiratory infection, with special emphasis on the role of the immune system, the field's leading researchers contribute detailed chapters on most of the major pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Their work will stimulate new research by microbiologists and immunologists, teach clinicians the interaction between microorganisms and the host, and provide health professionals with information necessary to evaluate public health procedures.

Volume 3 is devoted to the latest diagnostic technology for virus diseases, particularly molecular methodologies.

All multicellular organisms may possess innate immunity mediated by defense mechanisms with which the organism is born. In recent years much has been learned about the diversity of innate immune mechanisms. A large array of naturally produced antimicrobial peptides has been de­ fined. A variety of cell surface receptors that recognize common patterns displayed by infectious organisms have been identified along with the intracellular pathways that these receptors use to activate cellular defense functions. Cell surface receptors on natural killer (NK) cells have been shown to sense microbial invasion in neighboring cells, thereby setting into motion their elimination by cy­ totoxic mechanisms. Other receptors have been found to facilitate phagocytosis and intracellular killing of microbes by phagocytic cells. These and other natural defense mechanisms have traditionally been viewed as the first line of body defense in vertebrate species that also possess the capacity for acquired or adaptive immunity. Sharks and all of the other jawed vertebrates generate large repertoires of T and B lymphocyte clones that display different antigen­ specific receptors in the form ofT cell receptors (TCR) and immunoglobulins (Ig) that allow them to recognize and respond to antigens in collaboration with antigen-present­ ing cells. Memory T and B cells are then generated to allow faster and heightened cellular and humoral immune re­ sponses on secondary antigen encounter. In recent years it has also become obvious that innate immune responses can directly influence adaptive immune responses in ways that will enhance body defense.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the most notorious pathogens on earth, causing the death of approximately 1.5 million people annually. A major problem in the fight against tuberculosis is the emergence of strains that have acquired resistance to all available antibiotics. One key to the success of M. tuberculosis as a pathogen is its ability to circumvent host immune responses at different levels. This is not only a result of the special makeup of M. tuberculosis in terms of genetic diversity and DNA metabolism and its possession of specialized secretion systems, but also of its ability to hijack the host's innate immune defence mechanisms.In this volume, researchers from different disciplines provide a topical overview of the diverse mechanisms that contribute to the virulence of M. tuberculosis, ranging from their genetic, metabolic and molecular makeup, as well as the complex strategies these bacteria utilize to escape immune destruction within infected hosts.

The immune system is the only organ system in the body besides the central nervous systems endowed with memory. Both types of memories are specific and long-lasting, sometimes life long. This memory capacity of the immune system provides the basis for the most cost-efficient of all medical interventions, successful vaccinations against many common infectious diseases. Such a success requires the isolation of the infectious agent or toxic substance, methods to grow and/or purify the relevant antigen and change it into something innocuous whilst maintaining its immunogenicity. Whereas the early vaccines could only use the enhanced resistance against infectious disease as a measure of vaccine efficacy, most modern vaccines rely upon standardized laboratory tests accepted to parallel the in vivo protective capacity to confirm the quality and potency of the respective vaccine. We are presently experiencing an explosion in the development of new and/or improved vaccines. This is largely due to a parallel rapid expansion in our knowledge of the immune system and of the detailed molecular structure and function of microorganisms. Using this knowledge it is now possible to compose vaccines of new types where only certain molecules (or parts of molecules) derived from a pathogen are included, excluding other potentially harmful ones. Whereas earlier attenuated live vaccines were created by em­ pirical means such vaccines can now be created by molecularly defined inter­ ventions in the genome of the microorganism.

Prominent progress in molecular biology was only made when it became possible to separate functionally distinct molecules by taking advantage of their biophysical properties. Likewise, the analysis of the functions of hetero­ geneous populations of immunocompetent cells, as to the functional properties of their various subpopulations, can not be done until these can be isolated in reasonably pure form by selective fractionation. During the last few years significant advances have been made in this field, and cells have been separated according to size, density or charge (MILLER et aI., 1969; SHORTMAN, 1968; ANDERSSON, 1973 c), or by taking advantage of more specific surface markers to allow selective depletion or enrichment of a given subpopulation of cells (WIGZELL and ANDERSSON, 1971). Although separation techniques have been used in a variety of cellular systems, they have been particularly useful in the study of reticuloendothelial cells and primarily in the study of cells partici­ pating in the immune responses. Quite extensive reviews have been written which well cover the methods used for separation of cells and the results obtained with the various approaches (WIGZELL and ANDERSSON, 1971; SHORTMAN, 1972). To review this work is becoming a more and more voluminous task. As data rapidly accumulate, we will not try to make such a complete review.

Many bacteria, such as certain Neisseria and Haemophilus or Escherichia coli, are able to withstand the bactericidal activity of complement and phagocytes. This bacterial self protection is brought about by encapsulation. Bacterial capsules thus enable the pathogenic bacteria to survive in the host by counter­ action or evasion of the nonspecific host defense in the early pre immune phase of an infection. It is only in the late immune phase of the infection, when specific anticapsular antibodies are formed and enforce the host's defense system, that this protective action is overcome. Encapsulated bacteria are then killed and eliminated. Interestingly, some capsules can not or only inefficiently be handled by the immune system. The ensuing lack of antibody formation results in a prolonged susceptibility of the host to the pathogenic bacteria exhibiting such capsules. It was found that bacterial capsules consist of acidic poly­ saccharides. From this it followed that the role of the capsules in the interaction of encapsulated bacteria with the host may be due to the chemistry of the capsular polysaccharides. This led to intensive studies of capsular polysaccharides in many laboratories. Our increasing knowledge of the structural features of capsular polysaccharides prompted not only immuno­ chemical studies analyzing the interactions of these poly­ saccharide antigens and characterizing the epitopes, but also investigations into their biosynthesis. These studies were complemented and supported by genetic analyses. Today many interdisciplinary investigations of capsular polysaccharides are in progress.

In 1996 the International Committee for Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) recognized the name Nidovirales, as the formal name for Coronaviridae and A rteriviridae. In recognition of this change, and in response to the wishes of our colleagues we named this meeting for the first time'The International Symposium of Nidoviruses'. The meeting in the wooded environment of Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania, provided a stimulating opportunity for assessing the progress made in the field since the last meeting in Segovia Spain in 1997. Over 150 scientists from academia and industry attended the meeting. The meeting hosted senior members of the Nidovirus community, some of whom have been studying the subject for over 20 years, as well as younger scientists, the next generation of Nidoviro10gists. The traditional informal format, the shared meals, the social activities and the relatively inexpensive venue made the meeting a popular adventure. In her opening remarks Susan Weiss showed pictures from previous meetings, reminding us how young we used to look. Neal Nathanson was our keynote speaker at the opening night, giving an overview on how viral pathogenesis studies helped in shaping the evolution of viral research and vaccine development. The scientific program of the meeting was divided into 9 sessions including lO keynote presentations. The meeting opened with a session on epidemiology, evolution and genome structure. Sasha Gorbalenya shared with us insights gained from comparative sequence analysis, emphasizing the unifying traits among nidovriuses, but also pointed out the remaining'black holes'.

Advances in biochemistry, cell biology, genome-wide mutagenesis - coupled with molecular technology, including gene microarray and transgenic and knock-out animals - have been instrumental in understanding the cellular processes and molecular pathways of self-tolerance and autoimmune diseases. The molecular definition of these pathways and processes has led to novel treatments for certain auto-immune diseases that are based on the pathogenesis of diseases rather than on broad-spectrum immunosuppression. This book reviews many of these current developments and proposes future novel approaches for understanding the pathogenesis of auto-immune diseases and designing novel therapy. This book covers three major areas of auto-immunity: the basic mechanisms of immunological tolerance, pathogenesis of auto-immune diseases, and some novel therapies. This book should be useful for immunologists, molecular biologists, rheumatologists, and clinical scientists.

This volume is divided into three sections. Section I deals with factors that regulate the development and maturation of T cells and B cells and lymphocyte traffic. The significance of C-kit, Bcl-6, IL-7, and Vav in the development of T and B lymphocytes is discussed. A role of lymphotoxins and VAP-I in trafficking of leucocytes is reviewed. Finally, the trafficking and homing characteristics of T cell and B cell subsets, and the regulation of these processes during the immune response, is presented. Section II discusses various aspects of naive and memory T cell biology, including clonal expansion, reprogramming of genes including those encoding cytokines and cytotoxic granules, changes in the expression of cell surface proteins involved in cell-cell adhesion, homing of naive and memory T cells, the role of MHC and cytokines in the maintenance of naive and memory T cells, and the characterization and differentiation of virus-specific memory T cell heterogeneity in mice and humans. Novel methods of visualization of immune cells and immune systems are reviewed in Section III.

Dr. Hilary Koprowski is the pioneer of live polio vaccine, the first researcher to advance the diagnostic and therapeutic use of monoclonal antibodies, and the developer of the'gold standard'rabies vaccine. This biography chronicles his distinguished career and life's work in the field of microbiology. A world-reknowned maverick in biomedical research, Koprowski's research methods were often considered controversial and even radical. Nonetheless, he acquired key positions in many research organizations, such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Lederle Labs, and Wistar Institute, initiating landmark studies from cancer research to multiple sclerosis. One of his crowning achievements, the successful crusade for monoclonal antibodies, resulted in his founding of Centocor, a forerunner in the corporate world of biomedicine. This account of Koprowski's life history is a mixture of personal interviews, anecdotes, and legends of the art and science behind the man.

This summary of rapid advances in the field of medical mycology is tailored to the needs of mycologists, physicians, and others using fungi as model systems.

In the past decade, the global efforts in the control of HIV disease were basically concentrated on the search for anti-retroviral agents. So far, anti-HIV therapies have been shown to be disappointing because of rapid development of drug-resistant mutant variants. Despite this drawback in the therapeutic fight against HIV infection, antiviral research should be actively pursued. However, failure of antiviral therapy indicates that other avenues of research should be rapidly explored with the same energy. In this setting, striking advances have been recently made in the dissection and understanding of the viro-immunological processes governing the progressive destruction of lymphoid organs associated with AIDS develop­ ment, and HIV-induced activation and apoptosis have been identified as key phenomena of the immune system destruction. This book assembles the most recent advances on basic and clinical aspects ofT-cell activationiapoptosis in HIV infection and their implications for immunotherapy. These data were presented at an international symposium held on July 11-12, 1994, in Paris. The book is partitioned into 21 chapters covering four comprehensive fields: 1) T-celllmacrophage activation and HIV infection; 2) Apoptosis and viropathogenesis of HI V disease; 3) Apop­ tosis and immunopathogenesis ofHIV disease; 4) Mediators ofT-cell activationiapoptosis and therapeutic applications. We hope that this book will assist the readers in understanding recent advances in the viro-immunopathogenesis of HI V disease as well as the rationales for potential immune­ cell-targeted therapeutic interventions.

Discovery of the mechanism for V(D)J hypermutation remains a basic goal of immunology despite the best efforts of many labo­ ratories. The existence of catalyzed, site-specific mutation and its exploitation for the somatic evolution of lymphocytes are re­ markable adaptations, yet since the discovery of hypermutation in 1970 (see cover), much hard work has generated little. Indeed, our knowledge of what is probably absolutely required for the mutator's action can be succinctly expressed: /g gene enhancers. Table 1 of Winter et a!.'s chapter puts into a historical perspec­ tive how our notions of the mutator have changed over the years. Despite these modest gains, most of us feel that this is the best of times. Our work has not only shown us what the mutator is not, it has also, like an artist's preliminary sketch, defined the questions and experiments we must face without diminishing the potential for new biology. In short, it is great fun to toil against a significant and enigmatic problem.

The comparative approach to immunology can be traced to the era of Pasteur and Metchnikov in which observations regarding foreign recognition in invertebrates was a factor in the develop­ ment of the principal concepts that created the foundation of what now is the broad field of immunology. With each major experimental and conceptual breakthrough, the classical, albeit essential, question has been asked'are the immune systems of phylogenetically primitive vertebrates and invertebrates similar to that of mammals?'Somewhat surprisingly for the jawed verte­ brates, the general answer has been a qualified form of'yes', whereas for agnathans and invertebrate phyla it has been'no'so far. The apparent abruptness in the appearance of the immune system of vertebrates is linked to the introduction of the somatic generation of the diversity of its antigen specific receptors. Therefore the questions regarding the origin and evolution of the specific immune system revolve around this phenomenon. With respect to the origin of the system (aside from the or­ igin of the rearranging machinery itself, the study of which is still in its infancy) one can ask questions about the cellular and mo­ lecular contexts in which the mechanism was introduced.

It has been clear for a long time that after transplantation of a lymphoid organ, hematopoietic stem cells can regenerate the compartments of the organ, provided that the rest of its architecture - the strome, the epithelia and the vessels - is intact. Ahead lies the even greater challenge to assemble also these other architectural elements of a lymphoid organ by transplanting stem cells. The workshop on lymphoid organogenesis was convened to review current knowledge of and experimental skills involved in this grand project to build a lymphoid organ from its individual cellular components.

This volume gives an overview of pro tea some-mediated protein degradation and the regulatory role of the ubiquitin system in cellular proteolysis. The first chapter describes the molecular evolution of the proteasome and its associated activators, i. e., the 20S core, the base and the lid of the 19S cap, and the 11 S regulator. The ensuing chapter gives an overview of the structure and assembly of the 20S proteasome and the regulation of the archaeal proteasome by PAN. The third contribution summarizes our knowledge on the eukaryotic 26S proteasome and its regulation by the 19S regu­ lator, followed by a chapter devoted to the llS regulator, which elucidates the structural basis for the 11 S-mediated activation of the 20S proteasome. The fifth chapter reviews in detail the role of the proteasome in the immune response. The subsequent chapter of the natural substrates of the gives a comprehensive description proteasome and their recognition by the enzymes of the ubiqui­ tination machinery. The penultimate chapter rounds up the in­ formation on intracellular distribution of proteasomes in yeast and mammalian cells, while the last contribution highlights proteasome inhibitors, tools which proved to be very valuable for dissecting the cellular roles of the proteasome and which might turn out to be of pharmacological importance.

Bacterial CpG-DNA sequences not only serve for genetic information but act as'danger'signal to alert immune cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells. CpG-DNA directly causes activation of these members of the innate immune system yielding in up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules and pro-inflammatory cytokines. As such they act as'natural'adjuvants to promote protective Th1 polarized T cell immune responses. This book is the first comprehensive review of the data emerging in this field.

those who deal with infectious diseases on a daily This two volume work stems from the belief of the Editors that infectious diseases are not only very basis. much with us today but, more importantly, that they There are several excellent textbooks dealing will continue to playa significant global role in mor­ with medical microbiology, and there are equally bidity and mortality in all people. A continuing need well-recognized books devoted to infectious dis­ for an informed and knowledgeable community of eases. The Editors of this work, on the other hand, were persuaded that there was a need for a publica­ laboratory scientists is fundamental. Data describing tion that would bring together the most pertinent and the global impact of infectious diseases are difficult to come by. Fortunately, a recent thoughtful and relevant information on the principles and practice of provocative publication by Bennett et al. (1987) pro­ the laboratory diagnosis of infectious diseases and vides us with data derived from several consultants include clinical relationships. While this two volume that clearly delineate the impact of infectious dis­ text is directed toward the role of the laboratory in eases on the United States today.

Vaccinology, the concept of a science ranging from the study of immunology to the development and distribution of vaccines, was a word invented by Jonas Salk. This book covers the history of the methodological progress in vaccine development and to the social and ethical issues raised by vaccination. Chapters include'Jenner and the Vaccination against Smallpox,''Viral Vaccines,'and'Ethical and Social Aspects of vaccines.'Contributing authors include pioneers in the field, such as Samuel L. Katz and Hilary Koprowski. This history of vaccines is relatively short and many of its protagonists are still alive. This book was written by some of the chief actors in the drama whose subject matter is the conquest of epidemic disease.

The bacterial lipopolysaccharide also known as endotoxin is exhaustively covered in the present work. Central emphasis is placed upon the fine chemical structure of the lipopolysaccharide and its significance for understanding their activity and function. In particular, the role it plays in the interaction of bacteria with other biological systems is examined. New aspects of their physicochemical biology are introduced and updates to the current knowledge concerning the lipopolysaccharide are provided. This important class of biomolecules has recently attracted the attention of many investigators, in particular for understanding its involvement in innate immunity, toll-like receptor recognition and intracellular signaling.