Main description:

The second edition of Avian Immunology provides an up-to-date overview of the current knowledge of avian immunology. From the ontogeny of the avian immune system to practical application in vaccinology, the book encompasses all aspects of innate and adaptive immunity in chickens. In addition, chapters are devoted to the immunology of other commercially important species such as turkeys and ducks, and to ecoimmunology summarizing the knowledge of immune responses in free-living birds often in relation to reproductive success. The book contains a detailed description of the avian innate immune system, encompassing the mucosal, enteric, respiratory and reproductive systems. The diseases and disorders it covers include immunodepressive diseases and immune evasion, autoimmune diseases, and tumors of the immune system. Practical aspects of vaccination are examined as well. Extensive appendices summarize resources for scientists including cell lines, inbred chicken lines, cytokines, chemokines, and monoclonal antibodies.
The world-wide importance of poultry protein for the human diet, as well as the threat of avian influenza pandemics like H5N1 and heavy reliance on vaccination to protect commercial flocks makes this book a vital resource. This book provides crucial information not only for poultry health professionals and avian biologists, but also for comparative and veterinary immunologists, graduate students and veterinary students with an interest in avian immunology.

Contents:

Foreword 1. The importance of the avian immune system and its unique features 2. Structure of the avian lymphoid system 3. Early ontogeny of the avian immune system 4. B cells, bursa, development of antibody repertoire 5. T cell development and function 6. Antibodies 7. Innate immune responses 8. MHC and its role in avian immune responses 9. Antigen Presenting Cells 10. Cytokines and chemokines 11. Immunogenetics and mapping immunological functions 12. The mucosal immune system 13. Enteric immune system 14. Respiratory Immune system 15. Reproductive immune system 16. Immunodepressive diseases & immune evasion 17. Factors modulating the immune system 18. Autoimmune diseases of poultry 19. Tumours of the immune system 20. Practical aspects of vaccination 21. Comparative immunology of domesticated agricultural species 22. Ecological Immunology App. A. Chicken strains useful for defining the genetics of immune traits App. B. Resources available for studying avian immunology