Itzhak Ofek - Böcker

This volume contains the proceedings of the Bathsheva de Rothschild Seminar on Innate Immunity, held on October 10-15, 1999, in Zichron Yaakov, Israel. In recent years, scientific attention has focused increasingly on immediate defense mechanisms based on non-clonal recognition of microbial components. These mechanisms constitute the innate immunity arm of the body's defense. Identification of pathogens by these mechanisms primarily involves receptors recognizing sugar moieties of various micro-organisms. This text describes advances in this field, including the implications of the recognition of specific components of the innate immunity arsenal as the main cause of host susceptibility to particular types of infections, and the development of new agents to combat infections using newly identified anti-microbial peptides.There is also coverage of the major themes, such as the role of innate immune responses as a first-line defense against microbial infection and tumor cells; the cellular and molecular basis of the function of cells and molecules involved in innate immunity; the role of innate immunity in the immunocompromised host; and the interactions between innate immunity components and clonal immune response.

The emergence of pathogens resistant to conventional antimicrobial agents has forced us to intensify the efforts in search for new approaches to prevent infectious diseases. Such a direction was indicated in studies over the last two decades showing that adhesion of pathogens, primarily via glycoconjugate or protein receptors of the host tissue, is crucial for the infectious process. Moreover, it was found that infection can be prevented by blocking adhesion of the pathogen to mucosal surfaces of the host. The various aspects of interference with the process of microbial adhesion as a way of preventing diseases were the subject of the Bat-Sheva Seminar, "Towards Anti-Adhesion Therapy of Microbial Infectious Diseases," held in Zichron Yaakov, Israel, February 25 to March I, 1996. A major aim of the Bat-Sheva de Rothschild Foundation for the Advancement of Science in Israel, which sponsors a series of seminars, ours among them, is to provide the necessary tools and settings for international forums and exposure of young scientists and promising students to the state of the art of the field. This goal has been achieved during the week's discussions, and its major aspects are presented in this compendium. The seminar's participants, as well as the readers of this book, thank the founder and Foundation for their support. This book includes the major themes of this rapidly growing area. However, by no means do we intend to cover every bit and piece in it. The book's first section deals with the lectin-sugar interactions and their inhibitors.

This comprehensive and authoritative volume discusses the specific cell and tissue-specific affinities of pathogenic microorganisms, including bioinorganic surfaces such as teeth, and is an essential reference for researchers and students of host-pathogen interactions.