Humoral immunity is mediated by antibodies and is the arm of the adaptive immune response that functions to neutralize and eliminate extracellular microbes and microbial toxins. Humoral immunity is the…
The concept that the immune system is required for defending the host against infections has been emphasized throughout this book. However, immune responses are themselves capable of causing tissue injury…
Adaptive immune responses are initiated by the recognition of antigens by antigen receptors of lymphocytes. B and T lymphocytes differ in the types of antigens they recognize. The antigen receptors…
Antigen receptors serve critical roles in the maturation of lymphocytes from progenitors and in all adaptive immune responses. In adaptive immunity, naive lymphocytes recognize antigens to initiate responses, and effector…
One of the remarkable properties of the normal immune system is that it can react to an enormous variety of microbes but does not react against the individual’s own (self)…
This appendix presents five clinical cases illustrating various diseases involving the immune system. These cases are not meant to teach clinical skills but rather to show how the basic science…
The term “immunity” in a biologic context has historically referred to resistance to pathogens; however, reactions to some noninfectious substances including harmless environmental molecules, tumors, and even unaltered host components…
The following list includes selected CD molecules that are referred to in the text. Many cytokines and cytokine receptors have been assigned CD numbers, but we refer to these by…
The survival of multicellular organisms requires mechanisms for defense against microbial infections and the elimination of damaged and necrotic cells. The mechanisms that evolved first in invertebrates and persist in…
