What's worse than an unstoppable disease? What about one that brainwashes the host? One that makes them but one zombie in the horde. What if you would be none the wiser until you yourself were infected? How about if you and a group of friends tried to stop it, just to be cryogenically frozen until a cure was found. Then thawed out and told to distribute the cure?

"This book offers new ideas and recent developments in Natural Computing, especially on artificial immune systems"--Provided by publisher.

The bacterium today known as Francisella tularensis was first identified 99 years ago and, since then, much research has been devoted to study it and the resulting disease, tularemia. F. tularensis became the focus of an intense research effort during the first half of the 20th century, in particularly in the United States and Soviet Union, since the disease was fairly common. Due to its high infectivity, ease of spread, and severity of the resulting disease, it was one of the agents given the highest priority in the biological weapon programs of the United States and Soviet Union. After termination of these programs in the 1960s, the interest in F. tularensis diminished significantly, but after several decades of little attention, the last decade has led to resurgence in the research on F. tularensis. In 2003, the Science magazine phrased it as follows: “an obscure weapon of the cold war edges into the limelight”. There were multiple reasons for this resurgence, one of which was an increase in the number of tularemia cases in several European countries and, moreover, the intense research effort on potential bioterrorist agents in the US post 9/11. Thereby, the number of annual publications on F. tularensis has tripled in 10 years, and many new research groups, in particular American, have entered the field. This has led to very rapid development of state-of-the-art research tools, and fast progress in the understanding of F. tularensis. A proof of the rapid progress was the publication of a comprehensive volume on Francisella and tularemia in 2007. Although only four years ago, the rapid pace of the research has led to many new discoveries since then and, to this end, we now present a collection of articles from leading scientists on the up-to-date knowledge regarding F. tularensis. The articles cover important areas such as molecular research tools, experimental models, genomics, virulence mechanisms, manipulation and subversion of host responses, host immune responses, and the ecology of F. tularensis.

The study of neuroendocrine-immune interactions has become a highly visible and fast-growing segment of mainstream immunology. This book provides an overview of the immune system and in-depth coverage of the many different areas that make up neuroendocrine-immune research. The main emphasis is on the physiology of the processes involved, stressing an integrated approach to immunology. The text is organized in seven sections, beginning with an introduction to the immune system. Section II outlines how the central nervous system (CNS) communicates with central and peripheral lymphoid organs. Section III provides information on factors from the immune system that act as messengers to the CNS. The metabolic regulation of growth and development is discussed in Section IV. Section V examines the interactions occurring between the reproductive and immune systems. The effects of other physiologic stressors on immunity are reviewed in Section VI. Section VII considers cyclic and periodic influences on the immune system. Finally, there is a consideration of a new unifying theory for immunology. Students, researchers, clinicians, and veterinary scientists can discover new areas of interest in specific diseases and immune interactions in this novel presentation.

Atomic weapons and nuclear power plants: they promised to ensure world peace and provide efficient energy to Americans during the 1940s and 1950s. Meanwhile, the post war prosperity led to the most dramatic population explosion ever witnessed in the United States: the "baby boomer" generation.Times and politics may change, but many baby boomers-as well as their descendants-now live with an unforeseen result of the nuclear age. Rates of immune-related diseases have risen steadily throughout the past few decades, from allergies to cancer. While advances in medical care have kept death rates relatively low, the increased prevalence of certain diseases cannot be ignored.Low Level Radiation and Immune System Damage: An Atomic Era Legacy establishes an undeniable connection between the nuclear build up of the past and the widespread health problems seen today. While baby boomers were growing up in the 40s and 50s, above-ground atomic bomb tests and start ups of civilian nuclear power plants were carried out without fear of public exposure to radioactive emissions.Although the consequences of low-level radiation are still hotly debated, Mangano's research findings emphasize a direct link between nuclear exposure and immune system deficiency. In addition to substantial data on immune disease trends among Americans born between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s, Mangano also examines similar issues concerning baby boomer children and grandchildren. Health professionals, environmentalists, historians and students alike will find much to learn from these pages.As America and the world come to terms with the post-Cold War era, there are still many lessons to recognize, consider, and learn from the still-recent past. Low Level Radiation and Immune System Damage: An Atomic Era Legacy explores a relentless trend that will not soon be over-with potential repercussions into the 21st century.

At Frontiers our mission is to make science open – so that scientists can collaborate better and innovate faster to deliver the solutions that enable healthy lives on a healthy planet. We do this through our community driven Open Access journals. As researchers across the globe work on tackling the challenges facing immunology in the field of Microbial Immunology, they publish their success stories. However, it is equally important for researchers to discuss the challenges they face on the road to success, as most innovation begins with failure. Our Open Access publication allows researchers to discover the areas for development in the field and to provide a focus for future research. This Research Topic will highlight the importance of learning from one another in the scientific community and continue to highlight areas for progress. This Research Topic welcomes Reviews, Mini-reviews, Original Research, and Perspectives that highlight the field of Microbial Immunology from the following perspectives: - Recent success stories with a focus on the challenges faced and overcame. - Current challenges in the field and emerging research to innovate.

Extensively updated, this edition offers readers a carefully structured approach to learning the building blocks of the immune system, cells, organs and major receptor molecules, as well as initiation and actions of the immune response, especially in a clinical context.

Equine Clinical Immunology offers comprehensive information on equine immunological disorders. • Provides a complete, equine-specific reference on clinical immunology • Focuses on clinically relevant information for the diagnosis and treatment of horses with immune disorders • Illustrates the concepts discussed using drawings, photographs, and tables • Presents key concepts, clinical assessment information, and treatment approaches in text boxes for ease of use • Offers a practical, clinically oriented approach ideal for equine specialists