Human coronaviruses caused the SARS epidemic that infected more than 8000 people, killing about ten percent of them in 32 countries. This book provides essential information on these viruses and the development of vaccines to control coronavirus infections.
Human coronaviruses caused the SARS epidemic that infected more than 8000 people, killing about ten percent of them in 32 countries. This book prov...
This mechanism of programmed cell death plays an important role in normal development and control of cell numbers in mature animals. Initiation of the apoptotic process can come from external or internal stimuli and is highly regulated both by molecules that facilitate and by molecules that inhibit the process. It can be envisioned that apoptosis as a response to an intracellular pathogen is a useful way for the host to eliminate infected cells, decreasing the likelihood of spread of the infection to neighboring cells and preventing pathogen persistence. Alternatively, the apoptotic...
This mechanism of programmed cell death plays an important role in normal development and control of cell numbers in mature animals. Initiation of ...
Pathogenic bacteria for human and animals have developed sophisticated weapons, termed virulence factors, to ensure their replication and persistence into their hosts. The authors in this volume show a synthesis on how the various host cellular Rho GTPases activities are manipulated by bacteria to fulfil their virulence.
Pathogenic bacteria for human and animals have developed sophisticated weapons, termed virulence factors, to ensure their replication and persisten...
The vertebrate immune system defends the organism against invading pathogens while at the same time being self-tolerant to the body s own constituentsthuspreservingitsintegrity. Multiplemechanismsactinconcert to ensure self-tolerance. During intrathymic development, the nascent T cell repertoire is purged from autoreactive T cells via negative selection, a process also known as recessive tolerance. Ridding of self-reactivity, however, isnotcomplete, asattestedbythepresenceofself-reactiveTcells intheperipheralTcellrepertoire. Hence, additionaltolerancemechanisms, collectively referred to as...
The vertebrate immune system defends the organism against invading pathogens while at the same time being self-tolerant to the body s own constituents...
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common leukaemia in the Western world. It is also the prototype of B-cell chronic lymphoid malignancies and of their ramifications within the fields of hematology, immunology and oncology. For a long time the Cinderella of lymphoid malignancies CLL has now become the focus of major interest and an increasing number of investigators from different areas, including genetics, molecular biology, basic and applied immunology are becoming actively engaged in the investigation of CLL. Clinicians are considering CLL as a very interesting target of...
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is the most common leukaemia in the Western world. It is also the prototype of B-cell chronic lymphoid malignan...
Negative-strand RNA viruses, so named because of the polarity of their genomic RNA to mRNA, include important human and non-human pathogens. This volume covers major advances in reverse genetics techniques over the past decade, state-of-the-art basic science and the clinical implications of experimental findings. This should rekindle interest in negative-strand RNA viruses among readers, including those in other disciplines, leading to further progress in understanding these important viruses and in developing effective measures of control.
Negative-strand RNA viruses, so named because of the polarity of their genomic RNA to mRNA, include important human and non-human pathogens. This v...
Dendritic cells are vital to induce potent anti-viral immune responses. It will become clear to the reader that dendritic cells often play a dual role during viral infections. On the one hand they are able to mount potent antiviral immune responses, and on the other hand several viruses, including HIV-1, use DC as a vector to be transferred from the periphery to the lymph nodes where they infect their prime target.
Dendritic cells are vital to induce potent anti-viral immune responses. It will become clear to the reader that dendritic cells often play a dual role...
This volume offers an overview of the processes of zoonotic viral emergence, the intricacies of host/virus interactions, and the role of biological transitions and modifying factors. The themes introduced here are amplified and explored in detail by the contributing authors, who explore the mechanisms and unique circumstances by which evolution, biology, history, and current context have contrived to drive the emergence of different zoonotic agents by a series of related events.
This volume offers an overview of the processes of zoonotic viral emergence, the intricacies of host/virus interactions, and the role of biological...
Clostridium difficile has been recognized as the cause of a broad spectrum of enteric disease ranging from mild antibiotic-associated diarrhea to pseudomembranous colitis. This volume gives new insights into the microbiology, diagnostics and epidemiology of Clostridium difficile and describes recent strategies in treatment of diseases caused by this agent. Main parts of the volume are devoted to Clostridium difficile toxins A and B which are the major virulence factors. The molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology and cell biology of these toxins which are the...
Clostridium difficile has been recognized as the cause of a broad spectrum of enteric disease ranging from mild antibiotic-associated diarrhea ...
Throughout the biological world, bacteria thrive predominantly in surface-attached, matrix-enclosed, multicellular communities or biofilms, as opposed to isolated planktonic cells. This choice of lifestyle is not trivial, as it involves major shifts in the use of genetic information and cellular energy, and has profound consequences for bacterial physiology and survival. Growth within a biofilm can thwart immune function and antibiotic therapy and thereby complicate the treatment of infectious diseases, especially chronic and foreign device-associated infections. Modern studies of many...
Throughout the biological world, bacteria thrive predominantly in surface-attached, matrix-enclosed, multicellular communities or biofilms, as opposed...
