1. The importance of the avian immune system and its unique features
2. Structure of the avian lymphoid system
3. Development of the avian immune system
4. B cells, the bursa of Fabricius and the generation of antibody repertoires
5. Structure and evolution of avian immunoglobulins
6. Avian T cell: cell lineages and antigen recognition
7. The avian MHC (this chapter will provide more information on antigen presenting cells and antigen presentation)
8. The avian innate immune system
9. Avian cytokines and chemokines
10. Immunogenetics and the mapping of immune functions
11. The mucosal immune system
12. Impact of the microbiome on the immune system
13. Defence mechanisms in the egg and embryo
14. Avian immunosuppressive diseases and immunoevasion
15. Factors modulating the immune system
16. Autoimmune diseases of poultry
17. Tumours of the immune system
18. Practical aspects of poultry vaccination
19. Comparative immunology of agricultural species
20. Ecoimmunology
21. Emerging transgene technologies in the chicken and their application to avian immunology research
Appendix
A. Chicken strains useful for defining the genetics of immune
