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.

List of Contents

Antibody Interactions with Rhinovirus: Lessons for Mechanisms of Neutralizationand the Role of Immunity in Viral Evolution
Structural Studies on Antibody Interacting with Viruses
Shape and Electrostatic Complementarity at Viral Antigen-Antibody Complexes
Structural Studies on Viral Escape from Antibody Neutralization
Affinity, Complementarity, Cooperativity, and Specificity in Antibody Recognition
Mechanisms of Virus Neutralization by Antibody
A Model for Neutralization of Viruses Based on Antibody Coating of the Virion Surface
Antibody-Mediated Enhancement of Viral Disease
The Role of the Antibody Response in Influenza Virus Infection
Role of Antibodies in Controlling Alphavirus Infection of Neurons
Role of Mucosal Antibodies in Viral Infections
The Role of the Complement System in Virus Infections
Intrabodies as Antiviral Agents
T-Bodies as Antiviral Agents.