Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Elements of the Immune System and their Roles in Defense. Defenses facing invading pathogens. Principles of adaptive immunity. Chapter 2: Antibody Structure and the Generation of B-Cell Diversity. The structural basis of antibody diversity. Generation of immunoglobulin diversity in B cells before encounter with antigen. Diversification of antibodies after B cells encounter antigen. Chapter 3: Antigen Recognition by T Lymphocytes. T-cell receptor diversity. Antigen processing and presentation. The major histocompatibility complex. Chapter 4: The Development of B Lymphocytes. The development of B cells in the bone marrow. Selection and further development of the B-cell repertoire. Chapter 5: The Development of T Lymphocytes. The development of T cells in the thymus. Positive and negative selection of the T-cell repertoir. Chapter 6: T-Cell Mediated Immunity. Activation of naive T cells on encounter with antigen. The properties and functions of effector T cells. Chapter 7: Immunity Mediated by B Cells and Antibodies. Antibody production by B lymphocytes. Antibody effector functions. The antigen-antibody mediated pathway of complement activation. Chapter 8: The Body's Defenses Against Infection. Innate immunity. Adaptive immune responses to infection. Immunological memory and the secondary immune response. Chapter 9: Failures of the Body's Defenses. Evasion and subversion of the immune system by pathogens. Inherited immunodeficiency diseases. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Chapter 10: Over-reactions of the Immune System. Type I hypersensitivity reactions. Types II, III, and IV hypersensitivity reactions. Chapter 11: Disruption of Healthy Tissue by the Immune Response. Autoimmune diseases. Genetic and environmental factors which predispose to autoimmune disease. Chapter 12: Manipulation of the Immune Response. Prevention of infectious disease by vaccination. Transplantation of tissues and organs. Cancer and its interactions with the immune system.

Reviews

..."Appealing and relevant for those students who approach the study of the immune system through a clinical lens, including students of medicine, pharmacology, midwifery, or nursing; it would also be appropriate in an introductory immunology course.."
113(3):345-6
-Clinical Immunology, 2004