Molecular Immunology : How Science Works / [E-Book]

1 Cells and tissues of the immune system -- 2 Innate immunity and inflammation -- 3 Adaptive immunity and antigen receptor diversity -- 4 B cell immunity: BCRs, antibodies and their effector functions -- 5 Antigen-presenting cells and the major histocompatibility complex -- 6 T cell immunity: TCRs and their effector functions -- 7 Immunity to bacterial pathogens and the microbiome -- 8 Immunity to viral pathogens and the virome -- 9 Tolerance and transplantation immunology -- 10 Immunological hypersensitivities: Allergy and autoimmunity -- 11 Cancer immunology.

This textbook aims to describe in a condensed form the essentials of molecular immunology behind bacterial infections, the microbiome, viral infections (such as influenza and COVID-19), organ transplantations, autoimmunity, allergy and tumor immunology. The book emphasizes the impact of immunology in maintaining our health and preventing disease. Our immune system protects us not only from severe consequences of infectious diseases and getting cancer, but is also able to harm us severely via sepsis, cytokine storms and anaphylactic shocks. Molecular understanding of immunology should allow the reader a more rational handling of common diseases, most of which are associated with chronic inflammation.