The fifth edition of Fundamental Immunology appears when the importance of the
immune response in human health and the prevention of disease was never clearer.
Bio-terroism is a world-wide threat, with the possibility that one of the greatest
achievements of mankind, the elimination of small pox, may be undone. The HIV
pandemic shows no signs of abating and exacts an increasingly frightening toll.
Tuberculosis and malaria continue to be major scourges of mankind. The number of
infants and children that annually succumb to diarrheal infectious diseases is in the
millions.
The true impact of autoimmunity is more fully appreciated than ever and we now
recognize that inflammation plays a major role in many diseases, not the least of which
is atherosclerosis. Childhood asthma and allergies have become a virtual epidemic,
particularly in certain parts of the western world. The great promise of transplantation
will only be fulfilled when we can induce specific tolerance and avoid the need for
long-lasting immunosuppression. The possibility that the immune response can become
a major modality for cancer therapy still remains to be determined.
