Understanding how immunity works

Understanding disease processes is critical to any trainee doctor, and crucial to this is finding out how our immune system works.

Immunity serves as an introduction to the subject, with each chapter building on the next to provide an overview of the mechanisms of immunity. The first chapter looks at both the innate and adaptive immune responses, an understanding of which is necessary before tackling the more complex mechanisms of the immune system. This chapter also serves as an introduction to the main cells comprising the immune system; that is, the lymphoid cells (T and B lymphocytes) and the myeloid cells (eosinophils, basophils, neutrophils and macrophages), to name but a few.

The major molecular families that direct and regulate the components of the immune system are as important as the cells themselves and the next chapter illustrates them well.

All of the aforementioned topics are revisited again in later chapters, one of which is dedicated to in-depth discussion of the innate immune system. This allows the author to give an account of the activation and effector actions of the lymphoid cells to demonstrate how adaptive immune responses are built on these more primitive innate responses.

Having covered the topic of the immune system, the book goes on to discuss the response to specific pathogens. It concludes by covering immune regulation and immunological disease, giving a concise yet informative portrayal of the key hyperreactive and immunodeficient conditions, including the design and importance of vaccines.

The book separates out the different components and responses of the immune system in a clear manner. It then ensures all the ideas are tied in together to give a picture of how the immune system as a whole functions.

Who is it for? Undergraduates and those doing postgraduate study, but would also be of use to qualified doctors.

Presentation - Nice - easy to follow, eye-catching with relevant, helpful pictures that back up the text.

Would you recommend it? I would.