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Allergy is an immunological disease caused by multiple factors and characterized by variability, specificity and complexity.'Multidisciplinary Approaches to Allergies'covers diverse aspects ranging from basic molecular mechanisms to societal issues within the framework of multidisciplinary approaches to allergies. It contains 29 chapters in 6 parts: General Allergy; Allergenic Sources and Allergens; Diagnosis; Therapies and Pharmacy; Hypoallergenic Products; Environment, Hygiene and Societal Issues. It can be used in education and research as introductory and supplementary material. It is also an indispensable tool for scientists and doctors who are searching for an integrated way for allergy prevention, treatment and management.Zhong-Shan Gao, Ph.D., is Professor of Fruit Science and Allergy at the Department of Horticulture and the Allergy Research Center, Zhejiang University, China. Hua-Hao Shen, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Respiratory Diseases at the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, China, and Professor in the Chang Jiang Scholars Program (MOE). Min Zheng, M.D., Ph.D., is Professor of Dermatology at the Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, China. Lynn J. Frewer, Ph.D., is Professor of Food & Society at the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, UK. Luud J.W.J. Gilissen, Ph.D., is senior researcher at Plant Research International, Wageningen University and Research Centre, the Netherlands.

We are at the beginning of the third decade of studies at the molecular level on the pathogenesis of Listeria monocytogenes and the response of the host to its infections. It is a good time to survey the wealth of information that these studies have revealed and to think about perspectives for a more complete understanding of this important pathogen. During the past 20 years, L. mono- togenes has emerged from relative obscurity to being one of the most intensely studied bacterial pathogens. In the opening chapter, Daniel A. Portnoy provides a personal and historical account of the development of our understanding at the molecular level of invasion of the host cell, growth in the cytosol, and ce- to-cell spread by means of actin polymerization-powered motility. We are also fortunate to have contributions from Pascale Cossart and Werner Goebel and their colleagues. These pioneering investigators continue to make major cont- butions to the molecular description of almost every aspect of L. monocytogenes pathogenesis. All chapters in this book have been written by experts who have contributed widely to this field. We are extremely grateful for the efforts of all contributors who have provided contemporary accounts of the status of various aspects of L. monocytogenes pathogenesis and the host response. Their positive responses to this effort are deeply appreciated. Any specialist volume in the biological sciences can only provide a snapshot of the field at the time of its publication.