Antibodies in Viral Infection

Antibodies are central to vaccines and it is becoming increasingly apparent that understanding how antibodies combat viruses could be crucial in a new era of vaccine development. This book describes the state of the art in explaining the anti-viral activity of antibodies at the molecular level, with chapters from many of the leaders in the field. The huge mortality and morbidity of the AIDS pandemic and outbreaks due to emerging pathogens such as Ebola virus and hantavirus underline the vulnerability of mankind to viral infection. By far the most successful anti-viral strategy to date has been vaccination but the development of vaccines against viruses such as HIV, the cause of AIDS, is proving difficult. Antibodies are central to vaccines and it is becoming increasingly apparent that understanding how antibodies combat viruses could be crucial in a new era of vaccine development. This book describes the state of the art in explaining the anti-viral activity of antibodies at the molecular level with chapters from many of the leaders in the field. It will appeal to anyone interested in the fight against viruses.