Immunology and Infectious Diseases

An immune disorder is a dysfunction of the immune system. These disorders can be characterized in several different ways:

• By the component(s) of the immune system affected
• By whether the immune system is overactive or underactive
• By whether the condition is congenital or acquired

According to the International Union of Immunological Societies, more than 150 primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) have been characterized. However, the number of acquired immunodeficiency’s exceeds the number of PIDs. It has been suggested that most people have at least one primary immunodeficiency.  Due to redundancies in the immune system, though, many of these are never detected