Immunology

A section of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144).

Section Information

Immunology is the science of the biological and chemical basis of the immune-response-oriented defense mechanisms of the human and animal organisms, which are triggered by contact with infectious pathogens (infection, infectious diseases) or other antigens.

Immunological research includes complex cellular and humoral immunity, as well as their cooperation within the framework of the physiological and biochemical processes associated with an immune response in the organism as a whole (immunobiology). Special areas are the investigations of autoimmunities and allergies (autoimmune diseases), as well as reproductive immunology.

An essential component of immunology research is immunochemistry (immune biochemistry), which investigates the chemical and biochemical basics, e.g., of antigen–antibody reactions, as well as agglutination and complement-binding reactions.

The function of immune cells is often investigated on animal models, especially in knockout mice. Immunochemical and serological techniques (immunodiagnostics, serological tests) play an important role in clinical chemistry, cytology and biochemistry (immunoassays, immune electrophoresis, immunofluorescence, immunogenetics). Other subjects are neuroimmunology, psychoneuroimmunology, sports immunology, and transplant immunology.

Keywords

  • bacterial infection
  • viral infection
  • cellular and humoral immunity
  • autoimmunities and allergies
  • reproductive immunology
  • antigen–antibody reaction
  • agglutination
  • neuroimmunology
  • psychoneuroimmunology
  • sports immunology
  • transplant immunology

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