Mechanisms of antigenic variation : an overview / Piet Borst -- HIV variation : a question of single-to-noise / Simon Wain-Hobson -- Calicivirus / Alan D. Radford, Susan Dawson and Rosalind M. Gaskell -- Influenza : the chameleon virus / John Oxford [and others] -- Rotavirus / C. Anthony Hart and Nigel A. Cunliffe -- Haemorphilus influenzae / Derek W. Hood and E. Richard Moxon -- Phase variation in Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide / Ben J. Appelmelk and Christina M.J.E. Vandenbroucke-Grauls -- Genetic variation in the pathogenic Neisseria species / Thomas F. Meyer and Stuart A. Hill -- Candida albicans / David R. Soll -- The MSG gene family and antigenic variation in the fungus Pneumocystis carinii / James R. Stringer -- Trypanosome antigenic variation : a heavy investment in the evasion of immunity / J. Barry and Richard McCulloch -- Antigenic variation in Anaplasma marginale and Ehrlichia (Cowdria) ruminantium / Suman M. Mahan -- Antigenic variation and its significance to Babesia / David R. Allred, Basima Al-Khedery and Roberta M. O'Connor -- Antigenic variation in Plasmodium falciparum and other Plasmodiun species / Mallika Kaviratne [and others] -- Antigenic variation in Borrelia : relapsing fever and Lyme borreliosis / Alan G. Barbour -- Surface antigenic variation in Giardia lamblia / Theodore E. Nash -- Free-living and parasitic ciliates / Theodore G. Clark and James D. Forney -- The impact of antigenic variation on pathogen population structure fitness and dynamics / Neil M. Ferguson and Alison P. Galvani.
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The topic of antigenic variation is important in both biology and medicine. It is of enormous interest, as it describes the process(es) whereby microorganisms 'shift shape', by genetic rearrangement or otherwise. In medical terms, this has a major impact on the infectious disease process, since the immune system has great difficulty in keeping up with this variation, and thus eliminating the infectious agent. Antigenic variation is a major method by which microbes evade the immune response, and persist in the body. The broad scope of the book appeals to all those working in the field of infectious disease, immunology of infection, pathogenesis, molecular biology and also to evolutionary biologists. Topics covered include not only bacterial species, and viruses such as influenza, HIV, Rotavirus, but also eukaryotic parasites - one of the most fascinating groups of organisms exhibiting this behaviour. Comprehensive coverage of antigenic variation from viruses to parasites Discussions devoted to molecular mechanisms of host evasion Detailed descriptions of host/pathogen interactions.