Table of Contents

SECTION 1 THE ADVERSARIES - PATHOGENS

1. Pathogens as parasites

2. The bacteria

3. The viruses

4. The fungi

5. The protozoa

6. The helminths

7. The arthropods

8. Prions

9. The host-parasite relationship

SECTION 2 THE ADVERSARIES - HOST DEFENCES

10.The innate defences of the body

11. Adaptive immune responses bring specificity

12. Cooperation leads to effective immune responses

SECTION 3 THE CONFLICTS

13. Background to the infectious diseases

14. Entry, exit and transmission

15. Immune defences in action

16. Spread and replication

17. Parasite survival strategies and persistent infections

18. Pathological consequences of infection

SECTION 4 CLINICAL MANIFESTATION AND DIAGNOSIS OF INFECTIONS BY BODY SYSTEM

The clinical manifestations of infection

19. Upper respiratory tract infections

20. Lower respiratory tract infections

21. Urinary tract infections

22. Sexually transmitted infections

23. Gastrointestinal tract infections

24. Obstetric and perinatal infections

25. Central nervous system infections

26. Infections of the eye

27. Infections of the skin, soft tissue, muscle and associated systems

28. Vector-borne infections

29. Multisystem zoonoses

30. Fever of unknown origin

31. Infections in the compromised host

SECTION 5 DIAGNOSIS AND CONTROL

32. Diagnosis of infection and assessment of host defence mechanisms

33. Epidemiology and control of infectious diseases

34. Attacking the enemy: antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy

35. Protecting the host: vaccination

36. Active, passive and adoptive immunotherapy

37. Infection control

Reviews

"The book is useful for the intended audience without being too exhaustive.Each topic is treated with an intermediate level of depth without being exhaustive and is comprehensible for readers new to the subject."

-Matthias J. Schnell, PhD (Thomas Jefferson University) for Doody's Review Services