Disease immunology

The ideal of any vaccine is to provide life-long protection to the individual against disease. Immunological memory (Chapter 14) depends upon the survival of cloned populations of small B and T lymphocytes (memory cells). These small lymphocytes have a lifespan in the body of ca. 15-20 years. Thus, if the immune system is not boosted, either by natural exposure to the organism or by re-immunization, then immunity gained in childhood will be attenuated or lost completely by the age of 30. Those vaccines which provide only poor protection against disease have proportionately reduced time-spans of effectiveness. Yellow fever vaccination, which is highly effective, must therefore be repeated at 10-year intervals, whilst typhoid vaccines are only effective for 1-3 years. Whether or not immunization in childhood is boosted at adolescence or in adult life depends on the relative risks associated with the infection as a function of age. 

Vaccines and related biologic products constitute an important group of agents that bridge the disciplines of microbiology, infectious diseases, immunology, and immunopharmacology. A list of the most important preparations is provided here. The reader who requires more complete information is referred to the sources listed at the end of this appendix. 

Dejaco C, Duftner C, Grubeck-Loebenstein B, Schrimer M. 2006. Imbalance of regulatory T cells in human autoimmune diseases. Immunology. 117 289-300. 

Dessaint, J.P., Bout, D., Wattre, P. and Capron, A. (1975). Quantitative determination of specific IgE antibodies to Echinococcus granulosus and IgE levels in sera from patients with hydatid disease. Immunology 29, 813. 

Cause infectious and other diseases Immunology and infectious diseases Characteristics, selection and use of vaccines and antibiotics Use of biocides in infection and contamination control Control of antibiotic resistance... 

Horrobin DF, Bennett CN. Depression and bipolar disorder Relationships to impaired fatty acid and phospholipid metabohsm and to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, immunological abnormalities, cancer, aging and osteoporosis Possible candidate genes. Prostaglandins Leukotrienes Essential Fatty Acids 1999 60 217-234. 

BUTCHER, B.T., SALVAGGIO, J.E., WEILL, H. ZISKIND, M.M. (1976) Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) pulmonary disease immunologic and inhalation challenge studies. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 58, 89-100. 

Butcher, B. T., Savaggio, J. E., Weill, H., Ziskind, M. M. Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) pulmonary disease—immunologic and inhalation challenge studies. J Allergy Clin Immunol 58 89-100,... 

So far, we have talked mostly about neoplastic diseases. What about the effects of POM on non-neoplastic diseases Here very little information is available, although there is clear evidence that inhalation of particles can effect the macrophage population and induce processes which may be important in the production of emphysema and other chronic obstructive lung diseases. Immunological consequences of POM exposure have hardly been studied and are little understood today. 

F. Ambrogi, B.Grassi, S. Ronca-Testoni, and G. Ronca, Blood lymphocytes in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and Hodgkin s disease immunological features and enzymes of nucleoside metabolism, Clin. Exp. Immunol. 28 80 (1977). 

Boyer, S. H., Siggers, D. C., and Krueger, L. J., 1973, Caveat to protein replacement therapy for genetic disease. Immunological implications of accurate molecular diagnosis, Lancet 2 654. 

The number of known cytokines, as well as the diversity of biological functions, have led to a very complex and often confusing picture of the immunologic and nonimmunologic processes involved. The role of cytokiaes in local or systemic homeostatic mechanisms related to physiological functions may be utilized therapeutically for treatment of cancer and a variety of other diseases (2). Pharmaceutical research and development efforts surrounding lL-1 are typical examples of the cytokine inhibition approach to chronic inflammation research (2). 

Cytokines, eg, interferons, interleukins, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and certain growth factors, could have antitumor activity directiy, or may modulate cellular mechanisms of antitumor activity (2). Cytokines may be used to influence the proliferation and differentiation of T-ceUs, B-ceUs, macrophage—monocyte, myeloid, or other hematopoietic cells. Alternatively, the induction of interferon release may represent an important approach for synthetic—medicinal chemistry, to search for effective antiinflammatory and antifibrotic agents. Inducers of interferon release may also be useful for lepromatous leprosy and chronic granulomatous disease. The potential cytokine and cytokine-related therapeutic approaches to treatment of disease are summarized in Table 4. A combination of cytokines is a feasible modaUty for treatment of immunologically related diseases however, there are dangers inherent in such an approach, as shown by the induction of lethal disserninated intravascular coagulation in mice adrninistered TNF-a and IFN-y. 

Leishmaniasis affects some 12 million humans aimuaHy ia an area where 350 million are at risk. It is a complex of at least two protozoan diseases, consisting primarily of cutaneous and visceral forms. A mucocutaneous form is considered by some to be another distinct variety. Clinical manifestations of the disease range from an asymptomatic infection to an infection ia which there is considerable destmction of cutaneous tissue and mucous membranes. Leishmaniasis can often be fatal, especially ia the visceral form. The seriousness of the disease depends on the state of the immunological system of the... 

At the present time, almost two thirds of all gene-therapy trials target immunological and oncological diseases (Table 2). 

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