Cellular Immunity in Host Resistance to Viral Infections

Abstract

Host resistance to viral infection is a complex phenomenon. In spite of the striking advances that have been made in our knowledge of molecular biology of viruses and in the control of viral diseases through the development of vaccines, our understanding of host resistance has remained relatively limited. As part of this symposium, Baron has reviewed the general area of the host response in viral diseases with emphasis on the role of interferon in this process. Although interest in the contribution of leukocytes and phagocytic cells in host resistance to viral infections may be dated to the time of Metchnikoff and von Pirquet, there has been relatively limited progress in our understanding of this aspect of the host response. Recent recognition that a number of clinical conditions may be associated with enhanced susceptibility to virus infections as well as reports of the development of experimental model infections to study host