Readership

Industry and government scientists in areas related to entomology, immunology, vector biology and disease transmission, pattern recognition processes, pathology, physiology, and biochemistry; medically-oriented immunologists, cell biologists and hematologists; upper level undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers.

Description

Insects are the most numerous and diverse group of animals on earth, not only in number of individuals, but also in number of species. They inhabit virtually all terrestrial and freshwater environments, where they must protect themselves from an array of commensal, pathogenic and parasitic organisms that share the same ecological niches. Since the early 20th century, scientists have been intrigued by how insects defend themselves against attack. Over the past five years, there have been break-through advances in our understanding of the mechanisms governing immune reactions in insects. The knowledge of insect immunology can yield information important in the prevention of human disease as well as insights into the study of immunology in general. This work will constitute the first book-length publication on the topic of insect immunology since 1991. It will go beyond other published works by incorporating a historical perspective, model insect descriptions, genomic and proteomic approaches of host immune systems, and the latest developments in the field.

Contents

Preface: An Insect's Perspective on Immunity 1: Insect and Vertebrate Immunity: Key Similarities versus Differences Otto Schmidt, Ulrich Theopold and Nancy E. Beckage 2: Insect Hemocytes and their Role in Immunity Michael R. Strand 3: Eicosanoid Actions in Insect Immunology David W. Stanley and Jon S. Miller 4: Phenoloxidases in Insect Immunity Michael R. Kanost and Maureen J. Gorman 5: Evidence for Specificity and Memory in the Insect Innate Immune Response Linh N. Pham and David S. Schneider 6: Bidirectional Connections Between the Immune System and the Nervous System in Insects Shelley Anne Adamo 7: Bloodfeeding as an Interface of Mammalian and Arthropod Immunity Leyla Akman-Anderson, Yoram Vodovotz, Ruben Zamora, and Shirley Luckhart 8: Mosquito Immunity to the Malaria Parasite Lindsey S. Garver, Luke Baton and George Dimopoulos 9: Insect Immunity to Viruses Wendy O. Sparks, Lyric C. Bartholomay and Byrony C. Bonning 10: Parasitoid Polydnaviruses and Insect Immunity Nancy E. Beckage 11: Insect Immune Recognition and Suppression Otto Schmidt 12: RNAi and the Insect Immune System Stuart E. Reynolds and Ioannis Eleftherianos 13: Epilogue: Pathways into the Future of Insect Immunology Nancy E. Beckage

Author Information

Edited by Nancy E. Beckage, University of California, Department of Entomology, Riverside, USA