For over 30 years I have been engaged as a parasitolo nitz, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, was arranged in the pres gist in research on endemic diseases in our land. However, ence of Professor Jusatz. lt was indeed a great honor for I have been somewhat dissatisfied within my heart of me, but I also felt a very heavy responsibility; how to set hearts from the point of view of a medical person. Most of up the scheme, how to collect the materials, how to di gest, analyze and compile them in accordance with the us, myself included, handle disease sectionally, not com prehensively. Clinicians pay more attention to finding ef original goals. I frankly confess to realizing how limited fective drugs, medical scientists concentrate more effort my knowledge was at the same time. Poor editing would on clarifying pathologic etiology, and public health work result in dishonor not only to myself, but to my country ers are more concerned with environmental sanitation. as well. Now at this juncture, the point of editing, I am filled Thus, most of us generally neglect to search out the with deep emotion. In spite of limited time and knowl causal relation of a certain disease. For a disease to be established various factors must be involved: agent, ecolo edge, this manuscript will be prepared for edition at all gy, hosts, carriers, transmitters, habits, geographic and events.

In Vivo EPR (ESR) is a textbook on this relatively new subject in biomedical electron spin resonance. While a few chapters have appeared in special topics volumes in this series, this book covers the principles and theory, instrumentation as well as the latest applications at the time of its writing. The authors are world-renowned experts and pioneers in their fields. This book is divided into two major sections dealing with theory and instrumentation, and aspects of biochemistry, in vitro and in vivo applications. A significant amount of detail is devoted to clinical applications and the problems and pitfalls encountered in in vivo spectroscopy and imaging.
Key Features:

-History of In Vivo EPR,
-Principles of Imaging-Theory and Instrumentation,
-Time-domain Radio Frequency EPR Imaging,
-The Measurement of Oxygen In Vivo Using In Vivo EPR Techniques,
-Potential Medical (Clinical) Applications of EPR,
-Combining NMR and EPR/ESR for In Vivo Experiments.

Technological advances, together with a better understanding of the molecular biology of infectious microorganisms, are creating exciting possibilities for a new generation of replicating vaccines. Historically, live vaccines have been either directly derived from a natural source or attenuated by empirical approaches using serial passages and host cell adaptation. Currently, we are witnessing a quantum leap in our technological capabilities to specifically modify the genetic make-up of viruses and bacteria, making it possible to generate improved live vaccines and to develop completely new types of replicating vaccines, such as vectored vaccines, single-round infectious vaccines and replicon vaccines. This book highlights some of the most exciting recent developments towards a new generation of replicating vaccines.

This compendium is the result of the FEMS Workshop on "Rapid Diagnosis of Mycoplasmas" which I organized and which took place in Jerusalem, Israel, August 11-23, 1991. The first week's sessions were held at a resort on the outskirts of Jerusalem and consisted of lectures and discussions. This part was modelled along the lines of the Gordon Conference in the USA, i.e., in an intimate atmo sphere in which everyone could mix and exchange ideas, and was very benefi cial. About 100 scientists from around the world attended the first week. Dur ing the first week, the biology, molecular biology and pathophysiology of myco plasmas, as well as all the main diagnostic methods were covered, including both conventional and the newer technologies. The session on mycoplasmas in the human urogenital tracts was held in conjunction with the Israel Society for the Study and Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Disease. The second week was a laboratory session and was held at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School campus in Ein Karem, Jerusalem. All ex periments were conducted by eminent specialists in their field. The lab session had 36 participants from 19 countries who used the most modern techniques for the diagnosis of mycoplasmas in medicine, veterinary medicine and agri culture. The efficacy of several commercial kits were also tested at this time. I want to again thank everyone who helped and supported this work shop, as well as the authors of the various chapters.

Severe Infections Caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa emphasizes controversies worldwide in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and pathogenesis of pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. By including both chapters written by European authors and chapters written by North American experts, the reader is ensured of receiving a broad spectrum of opinions on controversial topics. Special attention is paid to such topics as the diagnosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by p. aeruginosa, scheduled antibiotic therapy for patients with cystic fibrosis, empiric therapy for febrile neurotropenic patients, combination vs. single agent antibiotic therapy for severely ill patients, and alternatives to conventional antibiotic therapies.

This excellent overview of our current understanding of pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis will prove useful to clinicians and microbiologists around the globe.

During recent years the subject of extreme environments and extremophiles has become a central topic in modern Biology. The capability of some microorganisms to withstand, and often prefer, the harsh conditions found in such environments is helping to define the physicho-chemicallimits of life and in consequence its essential nature. Halophiles are one of the most representative types of extremophiles, requiring high concentrations of inorganic salts, mostly sodium chloride, to grow and survive. They inhabit hypersaline environments, the distribution and abundance of which dur ing geological eras are attested by the vast amounts of evaporite rocks present in the Earth crust and by their role in the generation of petroleum deposits. The corditions of high osmolarity and ionic strength that are concomitant with concentrated salt solutions challenge the stability of lipid bilayers and the structure of proteins forcing halophilic microbes to develop specialized molecules and physiological me;;hanisms to cope with this environmental stress. Even so, halophilism is a widespread trait in the microbial world. All the major groups of eucaryotic microbes, two groups of archaeobacteria and most phylogenetic branches of eubacteria have halophilic representatives. Therefore, the study of halophilic microorganisms is indeed a highly heterogeneous and extense topic. The present volume contains the contributions to the FEMS-NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "General and Applied Aspects of Halophilic Microorganisms" held at Alicante, Spain, September 17-22, 1989.

It is now just 40 years since coxsackieviruses were first isolated by Dalldorf and Sickles in the "eponymous" town of Coxsackie, New York. Yet the overall contribution of coxsackieviruses to clinically evident dis ease of humans is still largely an open problem. Following their discov ery, coxsackieviruses were under intense clinical and laboratory scrutiny for a long time. Because of their relationship to polioviruses, the under standing of their structure, biochemistry, biology, and epidemiology ad vanced rapidly as a result of the formidable efforts that eventually led to the defeat of poliomyelitis. The ability of these viruses to infect mice permitted dissection of their pathogenicity in an experimental host and elucidation of conditions that influence its expression. Coxsackieviruses have been progressively associated with an increasing array of widely diverse human diseases. However, only some of the suggested causal correlations have been substantiated with satisfactory certainty. For others, conclusive evidence has so far resisted investigation. Most impor tant, among the latter are chronic maladies, such as dilated car diomyopathy and juvenile diabetes, that demand consideration. In recent times, there has been a partial eclipse of the subject of coxsackieviruses in the medical literature. In addition to the difficulties encountered in pinpointing their pathogenic potential, possible reasons include the general decline of interest in enteroviruses, which ensued after the conquest of poliomyelitis, and the continuous appearance in the limelight of new, more esoteric, and therefore more "appealing" viruses."

Kevin Marshall is a hard act to follow. Volume 13 of Advances in Microbial Ecology has been produced by a new editorial board, and we, the members of that board, are delighted to have the opportunity to pay tribute to Kevin's achievements. In his time as Series Editor, the quality of the chapters submitted and the range of subject matter covered have ensured an expanding and more stimulated readership. This represents a considerable achievement, given the growth in the number of review volumes and the increasing tendency for journals to publish review articles. The achievement was reached not only through metic ulous attention to quality and detail but also by providing a forum for the expression of views, information, and results that would stimulate discussion. Advances in Microbial Ecology will continue to provide such a focus, although, because of the frequency of publication, it would not be practicable to introduce a "reply" or "comment" section. Although we do not deliberately aim to provide a forum for controversy, we encourage speculation based on sound scientific arguments. In addition, we would like to encourage authors to offer chapters for consideration. In the past, the volumes have largely comprised invited chapters. With the best will in the world, an editorial board of four cannot claim adequate coverage of such a vast and rapidly developing research area. We would there fore welcome submission of outline plans for chapters, which should be sent to the Editor.

In 1898 Camillo Golgi reported his newly observed intracellular structure, the apparato reticolare interno, now universally known as the Golgi Apparatus. The method he used was an ingenious histological technique (La reazione nera) which brought him fame for the discovery of neuronal networks and culminated in the award of the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1906. This technique, however, was not easily reproducible and led to a long-lasting controversy about the reality of the Golgi apparatus. Its identification as a ubiquitous organelle by electron microscopy turned out to be the breakthrough and incited an enormous wave of interest in this organelle at the end of the sixties. In recent years immunochemical techniques and molecular cloning approaches opened up new avenues and led to an ongoing resurgence of interest. The role of the Golgi apparatus in modifying, broadening and refining the structural information conferred by transcription/translation is now generally accepted but still incompletely understood. During the coming years, this topic certainly will remain center stage in the field of cell biology. The centennial of the discovery of this fascinating organelle prompted us to edit a new comprehensive book on the Golgi apparatus whose complexity necessitated the contributions of leading specialists in this field. This book is aimed at a broad readership of glycobiologists as well as cell and molecular biologists and may also be interesting for advanced students of biology and life sciences.

New Bacterial Vaccines focuses upon unfulfilled needs for bacterial vaccines. The increase in drug resistance among many bacterial species has increased the need for new bacterial vaccines. This book serves as a comprehensive reference on the major aspects of developing new bacterial vaccines. The distinctive feature of this book is that it focuses upon new vaccines now under development by reviewing key issues for each vaccine target and new technologies being applied to developing new vaccines. This book should prove useful for students in the life sciences, scientists, developers of vaccines and biotechnology products, clinicians, regulators, and health-care practitioners.

2. The Translational Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Translation Initiation in Prokaryotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Translation Initiation in Eukaryotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 14 Translation Elongation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Translation Termination in Prokaryotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Translation Termination in Eukaryotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Error Correction in Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 A Structural Basis of Error Correction in Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Ribosome Editing: A Failsafe Error Correction Mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 3. Errors During Elongation Can Cause Translational 29 Frameshifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spontaneous Frameshifting Versus Programmed Frameshifting . . . . . . . . . . 30 Spontaneous Frameshifts Can Be Induced at Specific Codons . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 4. Programmed +1 Frameshifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 The pifE Gene of E. coli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Using the pifE System to Study General Frameshifting in E. coli . . . . . . . . 46 Ty Retrotransposons in Yeast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Frameshifting in Retrotransposon Ty1 Occurs by tRNA Slippage . . . . . . . 48 Frameshifting in Retrotransposon Ty3 Occurs by Out-of-Frame Binding of tRNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 The Rat Ornithine Decarboxylase Antizyme Gene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 5. Programmed -1 Frameshifting in Eukaryotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Programmed -1 Frameshifting in Eukaryotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 -1 Frameshifting Occurs on a "Slippery Heptamer" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 The Simultaneous-Slippage Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 of -1 Frameshifting by a Downstream Pseudoknot . . . . . . . . . . 77 Stimulation Does the Pseudoknot Only Block Passage of the Ribosome? . . . . . . . . . .

Molecular biology has rapidly advanced since the discovery of the basic flow of information in life, from DNA to RNA to proteins. While there are several important and interesting exceptions to this general flow of information, the importance of these biological macromolecules in dictating the phenotypic nature of living creatures in health and disease is paramount. In the last one and a half decades, and particularly after the completion of the Human Genome Project, there has been an explosion of technologies that allow the broad characterization of these macromolecules in physiology, and the perturbations to these macromolecules that occur in diseases such as cancer. In this volume, we will explore the modern approaches used to characterize these macromolecules in an unbiased, systematic way. Such technologies are rapidly advancing our knowledge of the coordinated and complicated changes that occur during carcinogenesis, and are providing vital information that, when correctly interpreted by biostatistical/bioinformatics analyses, can be exploited for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human cancers. The purpose of this volume is to provide an overview of modern molecular biological approaches to unbiased discovery in cancer research. Advances in molecular biology allowing unbiased analysis of changes in cancer initiation and progression will be overviewed. These include the strategies employed in modern genomics, gene expression analysis, and proteomics.

The advantages of the baculovirus system are rooted in the properties of the virus and the host (insect, or cell lines derived from it). During the normal infection cycle, two forms of the virus are produced: an early budded virus (BY) form (Kost et al. , 2000), in which the viral DNA and structural proteins are surrounded by membrane derived from the infected cell; and a late occluded form (occlusion-derived virus, ODy), consisting of enveloped viral cores which are embedded in a crystal matrix of viral proteins. The principal component of the matrix is the abundantly expressed protein polyhedrin. The budded virus rapidly spreads the infection from cell to cell within the insect host, resulting ultimately in the complete liquefaction of the host, and release of occluded virus into the environment. The occluded form protects the released virus, allowing it to survive for long periods in the environment until ingested by another host. In the alkaline environment ofthe insect gut, the protective protein matrix is removed, and the life cycle is repeated. In insect cell cultures, only the BV form of baculovirus is required, and the polyhedrin gene may be replaced with the gene for the recombinant protein. An additional benefit of replacing or deleting polyhedrin is that it effectively makes the virus unable to survive outside the laboratory, an advantage in terms of environmental safety. The system is intrinsically safe to animals, being unable to replicate in species other than a limited range of insects.

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), isolated in 1966, continues to draw worldwide attention as an important human pathogen. Its impor tance is largely related to the continuing accumulation of evidence that implicates EBV as an etiological factor for certain types of human cancer. More recent investigations on this virus have focused on the identity of the viral genes responsible for the different disease mani festations observed following viral infection. It is hoped that by thorough investigation of this virus, clues to how cancer develops from a normal cell will surface. In addition, many of the gene products are now being exploited for the development of new and more sensitive tests for the diagnosis and clinical management of individu als with EBV -associated diseases. Thus, studies on this virus continue to provide new information of importance to our understanding of the malignant process. In an effort to attract both basic and clinical scientists to the same meeting for purposes of scientific exchange and fostering a closer interaction between these individuals, a series of international symposia was initiated in 1984. The first meeting was held in Loutraki, Greece, and was attended by approximately 100 participants. The second international symposium was held in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1986, and was attended by approximately twice as many partici pants as attended the Loutraki meeting.

Advances in DNA sequencing and phylogenetic inference have created powerful methods to investigate many dangerous human viruses. The Molecular Epidemiology Of Viruses provides a comprehensive introduction to the use of genetic methods in molecular epidemiology and in-depth examples of analyses from many viruses. This book is of interest to researchers in the fields of infectious disease, virology, microbiology, evolutionary biology, epidemiology and molecular biology as well as anyone interested in tracking the spread of disease.

Biomedical scientists widely acknowledge that individuals' immune respon siveness is important in resistance to infections by microorganisms, including fungi. Because of the devastating acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, caused by the human immunodeficiency retrovirus, it is now accepted that suppressed immune responses, especially cellular immu nity, are important contributors to increased individual susceptibility to opportunistic infections-including infections caused by fungi which were at one time thought to be very lowly or nonpathogenic. Within the last few years, there has been an almost explosive increase in interest and studies concerning the nature and mechanisms of the immune response to fungal infections. Many immunologists who are not well versed in mycology have begun to study the nature and mechanisms of antifungal immunity using a wide variety of newer as well as more conventional immunologic technologies, both in vivo and in vitro. Up to the 1980s, however, there was little interest among basic immunologists concerning fungal immunity. This situation has changed dramatically in the past half decade, mainly because of AIDS.

North American Parasitic Zoonoses provides a concise and useful review of essential information about parasitic zoonotic diseases. North American Parasitic Zoonoses, volume six of "World Class Parasites", is written for researchers, students, veterinarians, physicians and scholars who enjoy reading research that has a major impact on human health, or agricultural productivity, and against which we have no satisfactory defense. It is intended to supplement more formal texts that cover taxonomy, life cycles, morphology, vector distribution, symptoms and treatment. It integrates vector, pathogen and host biology and celebrates the diversity of approach that comprises modern parasitological research.

American trypanosomiasis, or Chagas disease, is caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. Sixteen to eighteen million people are currently infected with this organism, and 45,000 deaths are attributed to the disease each year. Infection with T. cruzi is life-long, and 10-30% of persons who harbor the parasite chronically develop cardiac and gastrointestinal problems associated with the parasitosis. Although major progress has been made in recent years in reducing vector-borne and transfusion-associated transmission of T. cruzi, the burden of disability and death in persons chronically infected with the organism continues to be enormous. Eight to ten million persons born in countries in which Chagas disease is endemic currently reside in the United States, and epidemiologic and census data suggest that 50,000-100,000 are chronically infected with T. cruzi. The presence of these infected persons poses a risk of transmission of the parasite in the USA through blood transfusion and organ transplantation and several such cases have now been documented. American Trypanosomiasis, volume seven of World Class Parasites is written for students of tropical medicine, parasitology and public health, for researchers and practitioners alike who wish to bring themselves abreast of the status quo with respect to this disease. It is intended to supplement formal textbooks, in order to broaden and illuminate current areas of scientific and public health concern. Uniquely for T. cruzi, this book addresses parasite, vector and host biology, the pathogenesis of Chagas disease and current and prospective therapeutics and control strategies in a single volume.

Leishmania parasites cause a diverse group of diseases endemic to many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. This volume seeks to bring together recent research on cell and molecular biology of Leishmania with chapters on the host response to infection, the current epidemiology of leishmaniasis, explanations of the many different species, vector control, and strategies for vaccine development and drug treatment. Leishmania, volume four of World Class Parasites, is written for researchers, students and scholars who enjoy reading research that has a major impact on human health, or agricultural productivity, and against which we have no satisfactory defense. It is intended to supplement more formal texts that cover taxonomy, life cycles, morphology, vector distribution, symptoms and treatment. It integrates vector, pathogen and host biology and celebrates the diversity of approach that comprises modern parasitological research.

Fungal dimorphism is a topic that sounds inherently too rarified to attract more than a specialist audience. Yet some 230 individuals representing an eclectic mixture of interests, from basic science to medical practice, gathered in Churchill College, Cambridge in Semptember 1992 for a meeting devoted only to this subject. The symposium was the fourth in a series "Topics in Mycology" to be jointly organized by the Janssen Research Foundation and the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. The participants enjoyed a rich and varied diet of oral presentations and poster displays in the field of fungal morphogenesis. This book sets down in print the material presented at the dimorphism symposium. We think that the high quality of these papers conveys very well the flavor of what was an excellent meeting. The selection of contributions in this volume covers very wide ground indeed. Chapters devoted to some non-pathogenic fungi are included, because the scientific basis of morphological development belongs to the fields of cellular and molecular biology: it does not recognize the boundary imposed by considerations of virulence of a fungus for a human host. Yet morphogenetic change in those fungi that do cause human disease frequently appears to be a component of the pathological process: many important pathogens change from a hyphal form in the external environment to a round form in infected tissues. This relationship between dimorphism and pathogenicity is the point of contact between pure biology and medicine.

The aberrant replication pathway of foamy viruses distinguishes them from all other retroviruses. Many details have been accumulated over the past ten or so years. Most of the findings on foamy viruses were obtained by research on a single virus isolate previously called "human foamy virus," which appeared to be the first to be investigated on a molecular level. However, to the editor's knowledge, genuine human foamy viruses do not exist, but several trans-species transmissions of different simian foamy viruses from monkeys and apes to human hosts.

P. Doherty...VB Introduction D. Dobbelaere and D. McKeever...IX Theileria Development and Host Cell Invasion Michael K. Shaw...1 Genomic Polymorphism, Sexual Recombination and Molecular Epidemiology af Theileria Parva R. Bishop, D. Geysen, R. Skilton, D. Odongo, V. Nene, B. Allsopp, S. Mbogo, P. Spooner and S. Morzaria...23 Epidemiological Significance of Strain-Specific Immunity to Theileria Parva D. J. McKeever and W. I. Morrison...41 Virulence and Attenuation in Theileria Annulata R. Adamson and R. Hall...55 Theileria Survival Strategies and Host Cell Transformation V. T. Heussler...69 Genomics of Theileria Parva V. Nene, R. Bishop, J. Quackenbush, M. Pertea, S. L. Salzberg, E. Taracha, S. Morzaria, C. M. Fraser and M. Gardner...85 Non-Transforming Theileria Parasites of Ruminants C. Sugimoto and K. Fujisaki 93 Index...107 FOREWORD The apicomplexan protozoal parasites continue to provide major challenges for human and animal health. While most of us have some familiarity with the ravages of malaria, there is relatively little awareness of diseases caused by parasites of the Theileria species. The reason is that these tick-borne organisms are problematic only in cattle and small ruminants. This does not mean, however, that the various manifestations of Theileriosis are of little interest to those concerned principally with human health. The economic loss and diminished food production associated with East Coast Fever (ECF, caused by T. parva) continues to be a major problem in East Africa.

The articles in this volume provide a comprehensive overview of our current understanding of the roles played by cellular factors in the early steps of retroviral replication. A better understanding of these functions will provide critical new insights into retrovirus-host cell interactions and is likely to prove useful for the future development of effective antiretroviral therapies.

The time seems ripe for a critical compendium of that segment of the biological universe we call viruses. Virology, as a science, having passed only recently through its descriptive phase of naming and num hering, has probably reached that stage at which relatively few new-truly new-viruses will be discovered. Triggered by the in tellectual probes and techniques of molecular biology, genetics, biochemical cytology, and high-resolution microscopy and spectroscopy, the field has experienced a genuine information explo sion. Few serious attempts have been made to chronicle these events. This comprehensive series, which will comprise some 6000 pages in a total of about 22 volumes, represents a commitment by a large group of active investigators to analyze, digest, and expostulate on the great mass of data relating to viruses, much of which is now amorphous and disjointed, and scattered throughout a wide literature. In this way, we hope to place the entire field in perspective, and to develop an in valuable reference a*nd sourcebook for researchers and students at all levels. This series is designed as a continuum that can be entered anywhere, but which also provides a logical progression of developing facts and integrated concepts.

The field of bacterial genetics has been restricted for many years to Escherichia coli and a few other genera of aerobic or facultatively anaerobic bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and Salmonella. The prevailing view up to recent times has been that anaerobic bacteria are interesting organisms but nothing is known about their genetics. To most microbiologists, anaerobic bacteria appeared as a sort of distant domain, reserved for occasional intrusions by taxonomists and medical microbiologists. By the mid-1970s, knowledge of the genetics and molecular biology of anaerobes began to emerge, and then developed rapidly. but also im This was the result of advances in molecular biology techniques, portantly because of improvements in basic techniques for culturing anaerobes and for understanding their biochemistry and other areas of in terest. Investigations in this field were also stimulated by a renewal of interest in their ecology, their role in pathology and in biotransformations, and in the search for alternative renewable sources of energy. The initial idea for this book came from Thomas D. Brock. When Dr. Brock requested my opinion about two years ago on the feasibility of publishing a book on the genetics of anaerobic bacteria, as a part of the Brock/Springer Series in Contemporary Bioscience, I answered positively but I was apprehen sive about assuming the role of editor. However, I was soon reassured by the enthusiastic commitment of those I approached to contribute. Eventually, thanks to the caring cooperation of the contributors, the task became relatively easy.