Textbook of Immunology

Abstract

This book provides largely the principles, facts, findings and theories deliberately leaving out the details of the actual experiments. The sixteen chapters given in the book covers different aspects of immunology, beginning with an introduction about the immune system. In the introductory chapter elementary ideas about innate immunity, cell types of innate system, adaptive immunity, humoral immune response, organs and functions of immune system are dealt in a very comprehensive manner. The second chapter vividly covers the details on antigens, requirements for immunogenicity, contributions of biological system to immunogenicity, adjuvants, epitopes, haptens and superantigens. Immunoglobulins, their structural and functional basis of antibody diversity are the main theme of expression in chapter 3. Chapter 4 illustrates the various antigen- antibody interactions and the methods to determine them in a lucid manner. Topics like tolerance, hypersensitivity, transplantation and immuno- suppression have also been explained.