| Preface | vii |
| Acknowledgments | viii |
1 | Overview | 1 |
I | Synopsis | 1 |
II | Concerns in Medicine | 1 |
III | Host-Parasite Equilibrium | 1 |
IV | Development of the Acquired Immune System | 2 |
V | Clonal Selection Theory | 4 |
2 | Antigens | 5 |
I | Definitions | 5 |
II | Factors Determining Antigenicity | 5 |
III | Examples of Antigens | 5 |
3 | Innate Immunity | 7 |
I | Fundamental Characteristics | 7 |
II | Defensive Mechanisms | 7 |
III | Acute Phase Response (APR) | 10 |
IV | Pathogen Recognition Systems | 10 |
4 | Antibodies | 13 |
I | General Properties | 13 |
II | IgG | 15 |
III | IgM | 17 |
IV | IgA | 17 |
V | IgE | 19 |
VI | IgD | 19 |
5 | Immunogenetics | 20 |
I | Genetic Control of Immunoglobulin Chain Synthesis | 20 |
II | Genetic Control of Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLAs) | 20 |
III | Genetic Control of the T-Cell Antigenic Receptor (TCR) | 24 |
6 | Immunologic Assays | 26 |
I | Overview | 26 |
II | Protection Tests | 26 |
III | Agglutination Tests | 26 |
IV | Precipitation Reactions | 27 |
V | Complement Fixation | 29 |
VI | Fluorescent Antibody | 31 |
VII | Western Blot | 31 |
VIII | Cell Counting and Flow Cytometry | 31 |
IX | Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) | 34 |
X | DNA Microarrays | 34 |
7 | The Immune Response | 35 |
I | Humoral Immunity | 35 |
II | Cell-Mediated Immunity (CMI) | 39 |
8 | Signal Transduction in Immune Cells | 43 |
I | Effective Immune Responses Require Communication Between a Wide Range of Cell Types | 43 |
II | Receptor Architecture and Fundamental Characteristics | 44 |
III | Signaling Molecules | 48 |
IV | Pathways | 49 |
9 | Inflammation | 53 |
I | Introduction | 53 |
II | Inflammation Process | 53 |
III | Kinetics | 55 |
IV | Mediators of Inflammation | 55 |
10 | Hypersensitivity Diseases | 59 |
I | Overview | 59 |
II | Anaphylaxis (Type I) Reactions | 59 |
III | Cell Surface Antigen-Antibody (Ag-Ab) Cytotoxicity (Type II) Reactions | 62 |
IV | Antigen-Antibody (Ag-Ab) Complex (Type III) Reactions | 63 |
V | Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (Type IV) Reactions | 65 |
11 | Immunodeficiency Diseases | 66 |
I | Overview | 66 |
II | Developmental Immunodeficiency Disorders | 66 |
III | Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) | 68 |
IV | Cytokine and Chemokine Deficiencies | 70 |
V | Senescence (Aging) of the Immune Response | 70 |
12 | Autoimmune Disorders | 71 |
I | Overview | 71 |
II | Immunoregulation Breakdown | 71 |
III | Systemic Autoimmune Disorders | 72 |
IV | Organ-Specific Autoimmune Disorders | 73 |
13 | Immunologic Aspects of Transplantation | 76 |
I | Histocompatibility | 76 |
II | Complications of Organ Transplantation | 77 |
III | Immunosuppression | 78 |
14 | Cancer Immunology | 80 |
I | Definition | 80 |
II | Oncogenes | 80 |
III | Cancer and the Immune System | 80 |
IV | Cancer Immunotherapy | 81 |
15 | Immunization | 83 |
I | Overview | 83 |
II | Specific Vaccines | 84 |
III | Adjuvants | 88 |
| Study Questions and Answers | 89 |