Although the disciplines of immunobiology and parasitology have always been closely aligned, only within the last 20 years have parasitologists started to address fundamental questions regarding the mechanisms of immune interaction between parasites and their hosts. Mammals, in particular mice, rats, non.human primates and humans, have predominated as the host systems of choice for immunoparasitological studies, and the resulting research has produced many basic discoveries new to the immunological world. However, the successful integration of these two disciplines has come only through the recognition ofthe potential for creating new information from investigating the immunology of parasite-host systems, and a willingness of both immunologists and parasitologists to collaborate actively in their research efforts. The purpose of the symposium, "Phylogeny of Immune Defense Mechanisms in Parasitic Infections," is to encourage an expansion of this collaborative interaction between comparative immunologists working with a diversity of animal species, from mammals to invertebrates, and immunoparasitologists investigating similar host species. Invited speakers will review the current knowledge of parasite immunity in hosts representing a variety of animal phyla, will compare and contrast responses of a variety of hosts to different parasites, and identify areas and questions in need of further study. Although the symposium is oriented primarily towards individuals with interests in immunobiology and/or parasitology, it should have broad appeal to those interested in invertebrate biology, cell biology, and biochemistry since many of the immunoparasitological problems to be discussed are amenable to interdisciplinary approaches. Student interaction will be strongly encouraged through a contributed paper session following the theme of the symposium.
