Bücher der Reihe Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology

'Wild mice' is a jargonistic term that is used chiefly in the laboratory to refer to the naturally living forms of house mice (Mus musculus) and also other species closely related to M.

The papers in this book were presented at the 6th Workshop on Mechanisms in B-Cell Neoplasia, held in Bethesda, March 23-25, 1988. , endemic Burkitt's lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mUltiple myeloma in man;

Leading researchers present contemporary treatment of in situ hybridization applied to current issues in animal virus pathogenesis. The genetic programs played out in these cells and the newer methods of hybridization at the electron microscopic level provide valuable insight into the complexities of virus-host interaction.

It is surprising, and even disappointing, that there have been very few meetings and published volumes resulting from these meetings that focus attention upon all of the groups of DNA tumor viruses.

This volume focuses on the evidence for or against molecular mimicry as a cause of autoimmunity.

Bacterial capsules thus enable the pathogenic bacteria to survive in the host by counter action or evasion of the nonspecific host defense in the early pre immune phase of an infection.

Once again the Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology series presents a volume with up-to-date review articles on oncogenes. The well-known authority and editor of previous volumes in the series, Dr. Vogt, has accepted five contributions which critically evaluate recent research in the field.

The newest volume in the Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology series edited by Dr. Vogt and dealing with oncogenes and retroviruses contains four review articles by international authorities in the field.

The great majority of bacterial infections are initiated by the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria to cells and mucosal surfaces of the host. We now know that adhesins may occur as structural subunits of fimbriae and that they may form fimbriae which can be considered as mono- or multifunctional linear adhesin polymers.

EMBO Workshop held at the Basel Institute for Immunology, Basel, Switzerland, February 20-22, 1989

The third component of complement, C3, is one of the most versatile proteins and an important participant in immune surveillance and immune response pathways. VOLANAKIS: Participation of C3 and Its Ligands in Complement Activation . TACK: Biosynthesis and Genetics of C3 .

Although most primary infections in humans are subclinical, cytomegalovirus can be associated with a wide spectrum of disease, particularly when infection occurs in the immuno compromised individual or as a result of congenital or perinatal infection.

It has been said that the development of vaccines against a variety of infectious diseases is among the greatest triumphs of immunology. In the beginning it may have been thought that acq uired resistance against infectious agents is nothing but another aspect of the immune response, studied with soluble and particulate antigens.

Lyssaviruses are the etiological agents of rabies, one of the oldest documented and feared maladies in medical history. Yet, despite these academic and practical advances in research, the age-old horror evoked by rabies is still very real, with only four documented human recoveries once symptoms are realized.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) control several viral infections in animals based on deletion and reconstitution experiments with CTL clones and use of CD8 genetically deficient (knock-out) mice. In this volume, data for the role that CTL play in human infectious diseases is presented.

At first glance the destruction of a target cell by a killer cell seems to be a simple endeavor. After the eradication of the target cells, the number or activity of activated killer cells has to be reduced to avoid nonspecific killing of innocent cells.

Genetic / DNA immunization represents a novel approach to vaccine and immune therapeutic development.

The nine chapters presented in this book provide contemporary reviews of research on defective RNAs, satellite RNA viruses, and dependent RNA viruses that require the presence of a helper virus in order to establish productive infections.

Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been a high priority for vaccine development for over 50 years now, still no vaccine is available and none has yet demonstrated sufficient promise to move to licensure.

Pore-forming toxins are virulence factors produced by a great variety of pathogenic bacteria ranging from the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus to the Gram-negative Helicobacter pylory.

The next major advance was the discovery that tetanus neurotoxin 1 can be converted by formaldehyde treatment to a nonpathogenic but still fully immunogenic form, and that this can be used successfully as a vaccine to prevent tetanus (RAMON and DESCOMBEY 1925).

With contributions from an interdisciplinary team of recognized experts, this illustrated volume reviews the diverse mechanisms-genetic, metabolic, and molecular-that give M. tuberculosis its antibiotic-resistant virulence and allow it to evade immune systems.

The chapters cover the development of the thymic epithelial microenvironment, address the formation of a diverse and self-tolerant repertoire of T cell receptors as the basis for cellular immunity, discuss the mechanisms by which progenitor cells colonize the thymus and detail the molecular basis for T lineage decisions.

Legionnaires' disease, a potentially fatal type of pneumonia primarily affecting elderly and immuno-compromised persons, is caused by the ubiquitous environmental bacterium Legionella pneumophila.

Moreover, several human diseases are caused by retroviruses, including AIDS, adult T-cell leukemia and the neurological disease HAM/TSP. The topic of this volume is a relatively unknown animal retrovirus, jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus, the causative agent of transmissible lung cancer in sheep -ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma.

The immune system must maintain a balance between the deletion of harmful self-reactive B cells and the generation of a diverse rep ertoire of B cells that has the ability to recognize an almost un limited array of foreign antigens.

The development of live vaccines against the disease is remarkable as it has led to the first example of a commercially available vaccine against cancer as well as against diseases caused by herpesviruses. This volume gives an overview on many aspects of MDV research and summarizes recent advances in the field.