Book reviews

Probiotic Bacteria and Their Effect on Human Health and Well-being 
Edited by A. Guarino, E.M.M. Quidley & W.A. Walker
Published by S. Karger AG (2013)
£148.65 ISBN 978-3318023244

The content of this multi-authored book (21 chapters) deals with various aspects of the functionality of probiotics in the human body, principally, but not exclusively in the large bowel. The book has been edited by three people who are experienced in the field, and it’s fair to say that they have done quite a good job. Having said this, the editors have gone for breadth rather than depth. The individual chapters are quite short, and there is little space to really develop scientific concepts. Overall, this is a nice book. Each section is, for the most part, well-written and the standard of presentation is good with useful tables and diagrams. In terms of target audience, this is not a book for the expert. The editors suggest in the Preface that the potential target audience is wide, e.g. healthcare professionals, and various biological and environmental scientists. They’re probably not far off the mark. I felt that the book would be useful for postgraduate students (at £148.65, maybe it’s a bit pricy) and comers to the field who are looking for an overview of the field. If you want to find out something about probiotics, have a look at it.

George Macfarlane, University of Dundee

Reverse Genetics of RNA Viruses: Applications and Perspectives 
By A. Bridgen
Published by Wiley-Blackwell (2012)
£95.00 ISBN 978-0470979655

The ability to produce infectious virus from a cloned template and thus introduce mutations and other modifications, i.e. ‘reverse genetics’, is one of the most important tools available to virologists. It is therefore not surprising that many efforts, both past and present have focused on developing suitable systems for a number of viruses. This book focuses on RNA viruses, which have posed particular challenges. The introductory chapter outlines this nicely. The book is divided into chapters that focus on viruses according to genome class: positive-strand RNA viruses, negative-strand RNA viruses and double-stranded RNA viruses. All are written by experts in the field and are generally of a very high standard. Viruses are introduced well, a reasonable amount of background information is given and the reverse genetics systems and strategies are explained in great detail. There are indeed a number of strategies and tools now available to produce such systems. Although it would be difficult to write a complete overview of reverse genetics incorporating all of those, a criticism of the book is the omission of Togaviridae and Flaviviridae (with the exception of hepatitis C virus) families. In particular, their importance as emerging and re-emerging viruses means that many readers are likely to have interest in the reverse genetics of chikungunya virus or dengue virus, for example. This is in addition to their historical importance, and also the highly developed tools now available for those families. In that respect, it is sometimes unclear why individual viruses are chosen over families (i.e. hepatitis C virus and measles virus, over more general chapters on Flaviviridae or Paramyxoviridae) but, nonetheless, these chapters are expertly written and give excellent overviews on medically important pathogens.

The book finishes with a section dedicated to perspectives, which nicely illustrates the many possibilities that arise from having reverse genetics available for a virus. The book is written for those interested in modern virology approaches and/or in developing such systems; some background in molecular biology is a must to get the most of the various chapters. However it will also be useful to those looking for inspiration to improve existing reverse genetics systems, or simply interested in trying novel approaches.

Alain Kohl, University of Edinburgh

Tuberculosis: Advances in Molecular and Cellular Microbiology, No. 21: Laboratory Diagnosis and Treatment Strategies 
Edited by T. McHugh
Published by CABI Publishing (2013)
£95.00 ISBN 978-1845938079

This book is a timely reminder that tuberculosis is still a common cause of death from infectious disease especially in developing countries where direct access to modern medicine is not readily available and the burden of co-infection with HIV is high. The four parts of this book (Diagnosis, Measuring Resistance, Understanding Treatment and Treatment Strategies) describe the latest developments and knowledge in 19 well-researched chapters. Each chapter, in the well-known format of this type of review book, is written by international experts. The focus is on meeting the challenge of diagnosis and delivering treatment in resource-poor countries, while also describing the latest advances in vaccine and drug development. One subject I felt was missing was the public health strategy and management of the disease, especially in the light of rising multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis cases. Overall this is a very well-researched, well-written and contemporary text that will be an asset for both the clinician and the scientist alike.

Marian Blokpoel, Imperial College London

To Catch a Virus
By J. Booss & M.J. August
Published by the American Society for Microbiology (2013)
£29.95 ISBN 978-1555815073

To Catch a Virus takes the reader on an historical journey through milestone events from the birth of virology at the turn of the 20th century to a discipline that is at the centre of modern day health care. The book is nicely organised into nine chapters focused on topics ranging from the inception of virology and immunology to the discovery of seminal viruses and the techniques that made these advances possible. Of note are the informative timelines that accompany each chapter. This illustrated popular science text will be of relevance to researchers with an interest in the early virus hunters and the stories behind many of the techniques widely used in the laboratory today. In addition, the book is sufficiently general in its approach so as to offer the layman an insight into the science that paved the way to our current understanding of viruses and their detection.

Sue Lang, Glasgow Caledonian University

Forgotten People, Forgotten Diseases: The Neglected Tropical Diseases and Their Impact on Global Health and Development 
By Peter J. Hotez
Published by the American Society for Microbiology (2013)
£29.95 ISBN 978-1555818746

In this second edition, Peter Hotez gives an account of the current standing of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), with particular emphasis on their social and economic impacts on the poorest communities around the world. With the World Health Organization’s recent resolution to eliminate several important NTDs by 2020, Hotez’s revised text is a timely resource to inform and educate those with the power of eliminating these forgotten diseases. The chapters discuss NTDs grouped according to aetiological agents or based on similar societal impact. For example, leptospirosis, dengue and rabies form the basis of a chapter entitled ‘Urban NTDs’; while sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis are grouped into ‘Kinetoplastid infections’. Each chapter reviews the major concepts, exploring prevalence, transmission, clinical aspects, current treatments and obstacles to control and/or elimination (all are well-presented, well-illustrated and easy-to-read). The book ends with an excellent discussion on new, emerging opportunities to combat NTDs through low-cost, highly effective control measures.

This is probably not the kind of book that many will read from cover-to-cover; instead, it works more as a ‘go-to’ resource when looking for an historic background, up-to-date figures and relevant information about particular diseases. The content is clear and engaging, and thoroughly referenced with primary sources. I can see it making a useful supplement to the reading list of undergraduate students on biomedical courses, as well as being of use to researchers in infectious diseases and those with an interest in public health policy.

Catarina Gadelha, University of Nottingham