Description

Our immune system defends us against infection by employing multiple lines of defense. The relevance of the immune response in human health, disease prevention, and vaccinations becomes evident when the immune system is compromised as in the case of pathogenic infections or autoimmune diseases. The reader will gain a fundamental understanding of the essential principles of immunology, such as how our immune system recognizes/fights infectious agents, how our body differentiates between foreign and self-cells/molecules, and how the memory from previous infections aids in a faster and more effective immune response. The book is divided into 17 chapters, providing an overview of the immune system and its components, including its organs and cells. Chapters on the major histocompatibility complex, the complement system, hypersensitivity and tolerance, antibody diversity through DNA rearrangements, and autoimmune diseases are included in the book which further broadens the understanding of this very complex system of our body. Chapters on transplantation immunology and vaccines provide a perspective on the application of these immunological concepts and will be of great interest to readers.