The Immune Response to Viral Infections

Virus diseases continue to represent serious health problems in most parts of the world. In spite of the fact that diseases such as polio­ myelitis and measles have been controlled in the industrialized countries by vaccination, vaccines now in use in tropical countries have proved not to be optimal. Further research is needed to develop new vaccines that will be effective in all countries. To do so we need to understand better the immune response to different viruses so that we may be able to maxi­ mize the protective response of new vaccines and minimize their potential immunopathologic effect. An exciting new discovery which is now being further developed is the possibility of being able to use some viruses (e.g. vaccinia, adenoviruses, etc.), as carriers for other antigens. This may open up the way for the production of vaccines that will be inexpensive and that will confer long­ lasting immunity after only one injection. This meeting has also served to review our present knowledge of virus diseases which are still of great importance such as hepatitis, dengue and influenza.

Inhalt

The Contribution of Virus infections to our Understanding of the Immune System.- CD4 as the Receptor for Retroviruses of the HTLV Family: Immunopathogenetic Implications.- T-Cells in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection.- Nerves and Neuropeptides in the Regulation of Mucosal Immunity.- Possible Factors Contributing to Persistence of Cytomegalovirus Infection.- The Immune Response of Humans to Live and Inactivated Influenza Vaccines.- Physiological Mechanisms of Production and Action of Interferons in Response to Viral Infections.- An Insight into Poliovirus Biology.- Strategies for the Development of a Rotavirus Vaccine against Infantile Diarrhea with an Update on Clinical Trials of Rotavirus Vaccines.- Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus-specific Delayed-type Hypersensitivity Reaction in Mice.- Recognition of Influenza A Virus by Human Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes.- Molecular and Genetic Aspects of the Immune Responses to Hepatitis B Viral Antigens.- Important Diseases with a Possible Viral Aetiology.- The Immunobiology of Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Prospects for a Vaccine.- Pathogenesis of Dengue Haemorragic Fever: Current Perspectives.- Persistence of Human Papillomaviruses.- Genetic Engineering and Properties of Novel Herpes Simplex Viruses for Use as Potential Vaccines and as Vectors of Foreign Genes.- Adenoviruses as Vectors for the Trasfer of Genetic Information and for the Construction of New Type Vaccines.- Delta Virus Hepatitis.- Natural Killer Cell Response to Respiratory Syncytial Virus in the Balb/C Mouse Model.- Humoral Response to Inactivated Poliovaccine in Anti-HIV Positive Infants.- Different Expression of HLA Class I Antigens in Liver of Children with Chronic Hepatitis B, Evaluated by Immunohistochemical Method.- Specific Lymphocyte Proliferative Response In Vitro after cDNA HBsAg Immunization.- Influenza Virus Infection Reduces Cellular Immunity Functions.- Characterization of Anti Liver Kidney Microsomal Antibody Associated with Chronic HDV Infection by Immunoblotting.- Extracellular HSV 2 Inhibition of Lymphocyte Response in Healthy Subjects.- Expression of Herpes Simplex Virus I Glycoprotein B in Human Cells and Protection of Mice against Lethal Herpes Simplex I Infection.- Hepatitis Delta Virus and Autoantibodies to Epithelial Cells.- Immunodeficiency Associated with Mumps Virus. Study on a Four-people Family.- Cell-mediated Immunity in Infectious Mononucleosis.- Multiple Sclerosis and Zoster Encephalomyelitis: a Probable Common Etiopathogenesis.- Loss of Suppression-inducer T-Cells in Chronic-progressive Multiple Sclerosis: Preliminary Results.