The newly revised edition of this work provides an up-to-date description of the mechanisms of infection and disease production in a clear and logical manner. Dealing in an integrated manner with all microorganisms, the factors common to all infectious diseases are set out. Molecular biology, pathology, and immunology are brought together to explain how an infectious agent causes disease, and how the body reacts to it.

Attachment to and entry of microorganisms

Events occurring immediately after entry

The encounter of the microbe with the phagocytic cell

The spread of microbes through the body

The immune response to infection

Microbial strategies in relation to the immune response

Mechanisms of cell and tissue damage

Recovery from infection

Failure to eliminate the microbe

Host and microbial factors influencing susceptibility

Vaccines