Immunology: A Comprehensive Review / Edition 8

by Darla J. Wise, G. R. Carter

Overview

Immunology: A Concise Review offers the essential and basic ideas of immunology as a quick reference for students, practitioners, and veterinary technicians. Although concise, the book is comprehensive and a knowledge of its contents will assure the reader a relatively thorough understanding of what is frequently a difficult subject.

The book covers all of the basics of immunology, including chapters on: the origin and function of hemopoietic and lymphopoietic cells; non-specific immunity; antigens; complement; cell receptors and cytokines associated with the immune response; specific immune responses; responses to bacteria, fungi, protozoa, helminths, and tumors. More advanced topics include: an examination of all four hypersensitivity reactions; autoimmunity; immune deficiency diseases; organ transplant and rejection; vaccination and immunization; and immunodiagnostic techniques.

Additionally, the book offers end of chapter glossaries and a cumulative glossary as well as explanatory black and white illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813815992
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	06/24/2002
Edition description:	1 ED
Pages:	196
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.46(h) x 0.39(d)

About the Author

Dr. Darla J. Wise, M.S. Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Concord College in Athens, WV, and is the Associate Editor of Proceedings of the West Virginia Academy of Science. Dr. Wise’s research interest lies in the area of host-pathogen relationships. She has authored articles in the areas of immune responses, characterization of enzymes associated with host-pathogen relationships, and DNA-based methods of disease diagnosis.

Gordon R. Carter, D.V.M., M.S., D.V.Sc., is a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg. Professor Carter has published many scientific papers and is the senior author f more that a dozen textbooks.

Table of Contents

Preface; Abbreviations and Greek Letters; Introducing immunology; The hemopoietic and lymphopoietic cells; natural immunity and resistance; The nature of antigens and immunogens; The complement system; T cell receptors, major histocompatibility complex and cytokines; The humoral immune response; The cell-mediated immune response; The immune system in action; Hypersensitivity reactions, allergy and anaphylaxis; Hypersensitivity reactions, cytotoxic/cytolytic, immune complex and delayed type; Autoimmunity; Immune deficiency diseases; immune deficiency diseases; Transplant/graft rejection; vaccination/immunisation; Immunodiagnostic techniques; Cumulative Glossary; Index

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Marion C. Cohen, PhD (SUNY Downstate Medical Center)
Description: This is a short book that attempts to provide an overview of immunology. It begins with basic aspects of immunology and then discusses diseases of the immune system. There is also a chapter on immunological techniques.
Purpose: The book was written to help the immunology student by presenting information in a clear and concise manner. The authors feel that most textbooks include an enormous amount of information which intimidates students. Although many students would agree with them, one could also argue that some detail is important and that a minimalist approach to the subject is insufficient for a healthcare professional. Nonetheless, they have succeeded in shrinking the subject to a virtual outline.
Audience: The target audience is not described by the authors. It is not clear whether their audience is undergraduates, medical and dental students, or graduate students. I suspect that it is aimed at all of them. The authors are knowledgeable authorities.
Features: The book covers most aspects of what might be included in an immunology course. It is a distillation of the facts that a student needs to know at a minimum and thus could be used as a review book. There are few details on any topic and many of us who teach this subject would hope that our students could learn more than just a minimal competency. For example, there is virtually no information on signal transduction besides acknowledging that it is the mechanism by which a cell is stimulated to make a response. Since drugs for treatment of many diseases are likely to be targeted to these pathways in the future, a student is not well served by ignoring some of the more important pathways and what they represent. In the section on primary immunodeficiency diseases, the most common deficiencies are described but the causes at the genetic level are not. This may be adequate for an undergraduate student but it is not sufficient for a student in any of the postgraduate programs. Another example of brevity that can lead to confusion is in the section on cytokines. In one paragraph the authors mention that "...most of the more than forty known cytokines are produced by either monocytes or helper T cells." If they are referring to interleukins, there are currently less than 40. If they're referring to cytokines in general, there are a lot more than 40. And, in fact, in the subsequent paragraph they talk about the "...vast number of cytokines...." The authors have included a list of dates that they consider milestones in immunology. They have also provided a glossary for each chapter as well as a cumulative glossary.
Assessment: For a student who needs a review of basic facts, this could be a helpful book. For a student who wants to put the immune system in context, just learning facts is probably insufficient. There has been an increase in the number of books of this type in the past few years and they no doubt appeal to students who want a minimum amount of information that will allow them to pass multiple choice exams. The book is appropriate if that's the goal.

Doody's Review Service

2 Stars from Doody