This book, Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of Enteric Diseases, is the outcome of the First International Rushmore Conference on Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of En teric Diseases, held in September 1995 at Rapid City, South Dakota. The meeting was or ganized by members of the North-Central Regional Research Committee "NC-62," a United States Department of Agriculture-sponsored consortium of swine enteric disease researchers from land-grant institutions. This conference was conceived as a forum for an interdisciplinary discussion of mechanisms of infectious diseases. It was intended that such a discussion would stimulate cross-fostering of ideas and nurture synergistic collabo rations among scientists working on enteric diseases of humans and animals_. In atten dance, there were more than 140 participants from the United States and 12 foreign countries representing all of the world's continents. Participants brought expertise from many disciplines in both human and veterinary medicine. Multiple perspectives and an in formal atmosphere provided an environment for lively and thought-provoking discussions. Conference topics included Pathobiology of Gastroenteric Diseases, Mechanisms of Iden tity and Interaction between Host and Pathogen, Effector Mechanisms in the Pathogenesis of Enteric Diseases, Regulation of Pathogenic Activity in Enteric Diseases, and Novel Ap proaches to Prevention and Therapy of Enteric Diseases. Ten internationally renowned scientists gave keynote presentations in addition to 30 oral presentations and 39 poster presentations. The keynote speakers were Drs.