Sex and Gender Differences in Infection and Treatments for Infectious Diseases

This fully revised and significantly expanded second edition examines sex and gender differences in the immune system's response to bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections. The volume discusses both common and distinct molecular mechanisms that mediate these differences and illustrates how responses to vaccines may differ between the sexes and in pregnant individuals. Special emphasis is placed on the interplay between hormones and the immune system in the pathogenesis of HIV, SARS-CoV-2, influenza, malaria, tuberculosis, and amebiasis. This second edition includes completely rewritten chapters as well as all new contents.

This book is intended for researchers in academia and industry as well as clinicians in the fields of microbiology, immunology, and pharmacology. By expanding knowledge in sex and gender medicine as a basis for developing personalized treatment strategies, the book contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 (health and well-being) and 5 (gender equality).

Dr. Sabra Klein, Ph.D. is a Professor of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Department of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is an expert on sex differences in immune responses to pathogens and vaccines, with interrogation of sex-specific effects of aging as well as pregnancy in humans and animal models. She currently has over 185 peer-reviewed publications, authored several book chapters, and edited three books on the broad topics of sex differences in response to infection and treatments for infectious diseases. During the 2009 influenza pandemic, she was commissioned by the WHO to evaluate and publish a report on the impact of sex, gender, and pregnancy on the outcome of influenza virus infection. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Klein wrote commentaries for several journals and was interviewed by several major news media outletsabout sex differences in immunity, disease outcomes, and responses to vaccines. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2023, she received the NIH Vivian Pinn Award for Outstanding Research in Women’s Health.

Dr. Craig W. Roberts, Ph.D. is a Professor of Parasitology, at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde. He is an infectious disease expert having worked with viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens.  He has contributed to our understanding of the pathogenesis of infectious diseases and how they can be controlled through better antimicrobials and vaccines.  He has a long-standing interest in the influence of sex and pregnancy-associated hormones on the immune response and how this, in turn influences the pathogenesis of disease. He has published on how Toxoplasma gondii infection can affect the maternal foetal interface and the outcome of pregnancy. He has co-written a book on the biology of parasites and co-edited 2 books exploring the influence of sex hormones and gender on the immune response and treatment of infectious diseases.