The War Within Us: Everymans Guide to Infection and Immunity

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. In The War Within Us, well-known author and infectious disease specialist Cedric Mims makes the intricacies of the immune system and infectious diseases less baffling for the general reader and answers the questions of how things work and why. The story is told in terms of the ancient conflict between the invader (the infectious disease) and the defender (the body's immune system) and the strategies and counter-strategies used by both sides, making it a book that is both informative and interesting to read.
The War Within Us is an ideal introduction to the basics of immunity and infection for general readers and students. It also serves as a quick reference book for physicians, researchers, and other health workers.

Parasite versus hostThe conflict: how we defend ourselvesThe microbe's response to our defenceHow microbes cause diseasThumbnail sketches of seven selected diseases: The threat of new diseases

The Parasite Versus the Host:
How We Defend Ourselves:
Surfaces Barriers and the Early Defences.
Immune Defences.
Chinks in the Armour: Things That Go Wrong With Our Defences.
The Microbe's Response to Our Defence:
Breaching the Early Defences.
How to Evade Immune Defences.
The Disease:
From Residents to Big Killers.
How Microbes Cause Disease.
Thumbnail Sketches of Seven Selected Diseases.
What the Future Holds:
The Threat of New Diseases.
Our Answers to Infectious Diseases.
Selected Reading.
Glossary
Index.