The subject matter of this volume was the basis for a confer- ence held in Philadelphia in June, 1981, and is an important one in the contemporary area of how the host interacts with micro- organisms. In conception, it grew out of a graduate course entitled, "The Infectious Process," which has been taught in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Temple University School of Medicine during the past twelve years. This course has explored the broad areas of mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and host resistance by in-depth consideration of selected models of experimental infection...

This comprehensive treatise on the reticuloendothelial system is a project jointly shared by individual members of the Reticuloendothelial (RE) Society and bio medical scientists in general who are interested in the intricate system of cells and molecular moieties derived from these cells which constitute the RES. It may now be more fashionable in some quarters to consider these cells as part of what is called the mononuclear phagocytic system or the lymphoreticular system. Nevertheless, because of historical developments and current interest in the subject by investigators from many diverse...

Tuberculosis once again occupies a special position in the areas of infec tious diseases and microbiology. This disease has been important to mankind since even before biblical times. Tuberculosis has been a major cause of morbidity and mortality in humans, especially in highly ur banized Europe, until a few decades ago. Indeed, this disease became a center of many novels, plays, and operas, since it appeared to be quite popular to have the heroine dying of "consumption. " Most importantly, tuberculosis also became the focus of attention for many investigations during the 19th and even the...

This volume is based on the program of the International Conference on Drugs of Abuse, Immunity and Immunodeficiency held in Clearwater Beach, Florida. It was sponsored by the University of South Florida College of Medicine with the support of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. During the past few decades, drugs of abuse, including marijuana, cocaine, opiates and alcohol, have been studied by biomedical scientists in terms of the systemic effects of the drugs as well as alterations in neurophysiology and the psychology. More recently, the scope of such investigations has been broadened to...

As a group, rickettsiae, and related bacteria, contain a number of human pathogens that have recently named as causes of emerging diseases'. This unique volume offers a thorough and current review of information on the pathogenesis and immune response elicited by memebers of the genera Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Coxiella, Orlentia, and Bartonella, in contributions authored by the expert clinicians and researchers who work with these organisms.

The discovery of the human T cell leukemia virus type I in the late 1970s heralded a new era in retrovirology. For the first time, it was demonstrated that a retrovirus could play a role in the development of a human disease, in this case adult T cell leukemia (ATL). Several years later, the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic began, and it was dem- strated that a retrovirus, originally designated the human T cell lymp- tropic virus type 3, was the causal agent of this syndrome. This virus, later named the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), has since been extensively...

Busy clinicians and health practitioners recognize the importance of speedy detection of pathogens to impede the further spread of infection, and to ensure their patients' rapid and complete recovery. This reader-friendly reference is a unique collection of the newest and most effective diagnostic techniques currently in use in clinical and research laboratories. Instructive commentary regarding the application of these often complex methods is provided. This essential text aids readers in selecting the most efficient method, finding the necessary resources, and avoiding the most...

Although virology and immunology are now considered separate disciplines, history shows that these areas ofinvestigation always overlapped and one cannot really exist without the other. This trend has become particularly significant and fruitful in the past few years in the area of herpesvirus research. The genomes of the most important herpesviruses have been sequenced, a significant portion of their genes have been identified, and many secrets of regulation of gene expr- sion have been unraveled. Now this progress sets the stage for a true revolution in herpesvirus research: analysis of...

Opportunistic, intracellular bacterial infections are in the forefront of research today because of the challenges they present to the immunocompromised patient. In this volume, the pathogenesis and immune reaction of these intracellular infections is featured, as are the most typical problems related to antimicrobial chemotherapy, and current approaches to their solution. Notable chapters set the pace for research on the pathogenic and immune reactions to such infections as

• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Legionella pneumophila
• ...

It is now just 40 years since coxsackieviruses were first isolated by Dalldorf and Sickles in the "eponymous" town of Coxsackie, New York. Yet the overall contribution of coxsackieviruses to clinically evident dis- ease of humans is still largely an open problem. Following their discov- ery, coxsackieviruses were under intense clinical and laboratory scrutiny for a long time. Because of their relationship to polioviruses, the under- standing of their structure, biochemistry, biology, and epidemiology ad- vanced rapidly as a result of the formidable efforts that eventually led to the defeat of...