Immunotoxicology
The toxic responses of the immune system may be divided into:
Immunosuppression = the immune system is weakened, making the body more susceptible to harm from exogenous insults
Induction of Allergies = the immune system overreacts to exogenous insults
Induction of autoimmunity = the immune system reacts to endogenous materials, chemicals, etc.
To learn more about these we need to understand some of the workings of the immune system. Let's start with an overview.
Don't let the colorful nature of this site fool you. It covers the high points of the immune system very well. Click on immunology on the lower left side of the page. Do all 5 submodules. The section on HIV provides a good review of some cell biology concepts. http://www.cellsalive.com/toc.htm#immune [have your sound on]
Blood cells are made in the bone marrow. Infants make them in other places, including the liver and thymus gland, but the thymus fades out with aging. All the different types of blood cells start with a primordial stem cell that differentiates with replication cycles into several main lines, thence it further differentiates into the specific types, such as red blood cells (erythrocytes) and the various main types of white blood cells, such as lymphocytes, neutrophils, and macrophages. Once released into the blood, the cells can morph into other types, within the main types. Many of the main types can replicate outside the marrow. The lymph system is a set of one-way pipes that relieve pressure throughout the connective tissue. They feed into progressively larger lymph vessels and eventually dump into the main blood vein not far from the heart. There are many lymph nodes in the system. Many white blood cells reside in the lymph nodes and the lymph is filtered through these cells. There is another organ, the spleen, that likewise has lots of white blood cells. The spleen is an immune filter of the blood. In the spleen and lymph nodes some types of white blood cells will replicate. The initial production in the bone marrow is under general hormonal control, for example there is a hormone that is produced when the body lacks oxygen that stimulates the production of red blood cells. The morphing and replication outside the marrow is under control of many things including cytokines released from infections and damage. Cytokines are molecular messengers sent out by white blood cells and other types of cells that stimulate some action by the immune system.
With that introduction, I think the book chapter will serve you well. The first 37 slides in the presentation have some graphics that are lacking in the text.(Stop at MCS.) Sensitivity.