Myocarditis and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy are being increasingly recognized as important causes of heart disease and heart failure. Immunological mechanisms have long been suspected as playing a role in thesediseases but direct evidence has been lacking. Recently, animal models have be- come available, in which myocarditis can be induced either by infection with cardiotropic viruses or by autoimmuniza- tion with heart-specific antigens. This book presents and analyzes the latest information obtained from experimental models, relating it to the practical problems of diagnosis and treatment of myocarditis.