Local Immunity in Reproductive Tract Tissues

This volume contains the proceedings of an Internatinal Symposium held in November 1990 to review the current status of knowledge and research on mucosal immunity in the reproductive tracts. It constitutes a unique collection of papers reviewing the extensive and diverse advances that have occurred in this field over the last decade. The expert international participants were selected from a wide spectrum of disciplines, including reproductive biology, immunology, microbiology, virology, urology, obstetrics and gynecology. Their contributions provide a detailed insight into the physiology of the human mucosal immune system in general, and of the mucosal immune systems of the male and female reproductive tracts in particular. The book also discusses how immune responses might be generated in these tissues using a variety of immunization strategies. A major objective of the Symposium was to identify relevant areas for future investigation within goal-oriented research programs that could lead to the development of safe, effective and acceptable vaccines for regulating fertility and for preventing the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases. The book will therefore be of interest to scientists, clinicians and administrators involved in these specific areas as well as in the more general fields of public health, family planning and vaccine development.