ABSTRACT
This is a very important chapter because it is here that we begin to look at the fundamentals of the infectious disease process. Armed with the concepts from previous chapters, we are well prepared for these discussions about the specifics of what is involved. We will then build on this information as we move through future chapters. In this chapter, we examine four of the five requirements necessary for a successful infection, namely portals of entry (getting in), establishment (staying in), defeating the host defenses, and damaging the host.
We will divide our discussions into the following topics:
