Seasonal Patterns of Stress, Immune Function, and Disease

Thisbookpresentsevidencethatinfectioniscyclicalwiththeseasons,andthatthisphenomenonismirroredincyclesofimmunefunction.Thebookidentifiesthemechanismsbywhichimmunesystemsarebolsteredtocounteractseasonally-recurrentstressors,suchasextremetemperaturereductionsandfoodshortages.Stress,infectiousdiseases,autoimmunediseases,andhumancancersareexamined,andtheroleofhormonessuchasmelatoninandglucocorticoidsisconsidered.Thebookbeginswithanoverviewofseasonality,biologicalrhythmsandphotoperiodism,andbasicimmunology,andthendiscussesseasonalfluctuationsindiseaseprevalence,immunefunction,andenergeticsandendocrinologyastheyrelatetoimmunefunction.Theclinicalsignificanceofthisissueisalsoaddressed,assuchseasonalchangesmayplayanimportantroleinthedevelopmentandtreatmentofinfections.Thisfirstmonographtoexamineseasonalimmunefunctionfromaninterdisciplinaryperspectivewillservepractitionersaswellasadvancedundergraduatesandgraduatestudentsinbiology,immunology,humanandveterinarymedicine,neuroscience,endocrinology,andzoology.