Accessory cells in HIV and other retroviral infections

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Recent knowledge demonstrates that lymphocytes are not the only cells important for the reaction of an organism to pathogens, but that accessory (non-lymphoid) cells also play a role in this process. This publication provides an overview of present knowledge of antigen-presenting cells in the normal immune response as well as in immune pathology, with a focus on immune deficiencies caused by retroviral infections. The contributors demonstrate that the role of non-lymphoid cells is not merely confined to the effector phase of the immune response, but that macrophages and the related family of dendritic cells are also involved in the induction and regulation of lymphocyte proliferation and differentiation. Further papers elucidate the vital supportive functions of the various stromal cells in the immune response.