Veterinary Immunology, 11th Edition

By: Ian R. Tizard

ISBN: 9780443109751

Publication Date: November 26, 2024

Reviewer: Stephanie Bruner, DVM (University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital)

Description

This book represents the latest update in a core component of the minimum database of veterinary education. Beginning with the smallest molecules of innate immunity, progressing through the intricacies of adaptive immunity, and finishing with the complexities of major immune responses, this book covers a broad topic with a high degree of detail in a clear and concise manner. The accompanying diagrams enhance the text, often simplifying yet supporting the written words simultaneously. The chapter sequence proceeds in a logical manner, and in turn, the content of the individual chapters follows a similar outline, beginning with molecular or cellular findings and ending with applications of the information on a larger, whole-animal scale. The previous edition was published in 2018.

Purpose

In the book’s preface, the author makes “no apologies for the size and complexity of this text,” and rightly so. The post-COVID world is indeed a more complex place. Immunology has expanded in both depth and breadth at such a rapid pace that nearly any book published, or any veterinarian’s education prior to the epidemic is likely to be outdated. This updated book delivers on its promise to teach basic immunology to veterinary students while filling in the educational gaps experienced by graduate veterinarians in such a rapidly changing world.

Audience

Traditionally considered to be a mainstay of veterinary students’ education, this book encourages all graduate veterinarians to stay abreast of the rapidly changing world of immunology, stating that ignoring it is at our own peril. As such, this book can be read–and re-read–at many different levels. For those interested in the fundamentals of how the immune system functions, diagrams, tables, figures, and the ample glossary may suffice. For those who strive for a deeper understanding, numerous current references and resources support the text. And for those who are studying this subject with specific learning styles, the online Elsevier+ version offers the opportunity to highlight, make notes, watch videos, and generate flashcards, all without defaming the paperback copy on their bookshelves. Furthermore, the electronic text includes read-aloud settings that can be customized for speed and other voice preferences. In short, it is almost impossible not to learn something new about immunology with even the most casual reading of this book. Since its first publication in 1977, few veterinarians have graduated without some exposure to “Tizard.” Few of us ever used, or perhaps even knew, the actual title of the text. But we studied Tizard. It is comforting knowing that, with the publication of the 2025 edition, another generation of veterinarians will get to learn from Tizard as well.

Features

Tackling all the fundamentals of immunology in 500 pages or less seems like an impossible task. Worse yet, reading about the fundamentals of immunology for 500 pages could be a nightmare. The pacing and layout of this book, however, make this task possible, and perhaps even enjoyable. The chapters are reasonable in length, and the text is broken up at opportune moments by the colorful and concise, albeit sometimes abstract, diagrams and charts. If students are not able to picture the cascade of the immunologic events in their own mind, the supporting diagram or algorithm, typically situated immediately after the written information in question, will likely clear it up. These images are useful not only in delivering the information in a different way but also in how they break up the pages and allow a very full brain to digest what was just read before moving forward. Similarly, the photographs and “information boxes,” while perhaps not necessary to the primary message of the text are relevant, and perhaps necessary to sustaining interest in the topic, particularly for clinicians who appreciate a good photomicrograph or snippet of trivia now and then. All in all, these breaks in what would otherwise be a wall of words and acronyms add to the enjoyment, or at least relieve the pain, of reading 500 continuous pages of immunology.

Assessment

This book has once again earned its position as required reading for veterinary students and graduates who plan to practice in the clinical environment or who require a solid base of knowledge before digging more deeply into the study of the immune system. While this topic is never an “easy read,” the book manages to break down complex topics into workable segments with each chapter slowly and methodically building on the last. By filling some of the gaps in our knowledge with information that has been uncovered since the last edition and fueled partially by the COVID epidemic, this edition provides updated information for both students learning the topic for the first time and more experienced practitioners who strives to remain current and relevant in the fast-paced world of modern veterinary medicine.

©Doody’s Review Service, 2025, Stephanie Bruner, DVM (University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital), Doody’s Score: 96 – 4 Stars!

Purchase your copy of Veterinary Immunology, 11th Edition here!