During the recent transition between acute diseases caused by swarms of single planktonic bacteria, and chronic infections caused by bacteria growing in slime-enclosed biofilms, a general clinical consensus has emerged that pathologies with bacterial etiologies are frequently culture negative. Because biofilm infections now affect 17 million Americans per year (killing approximately 450,000), the suggestion that these common and lethal infections regularly go unnoticed by the only FDA-approved method for their detection and characterization is a matter of urgent concern. Biologically, we would expect that planktonic bacterial cells would colonize any new surface, including the surface of an agar plate, while the specialized sessile cells of a biofilm community would have no such proclivity. In the study of biofilm diseases ranging from otitis media to prostatitis, it was found that direct microscopy and DNA- and RNA-based molecular methods regularly document the presence of living bacteria in tissues and samples that are culture negative. The editors selected orthopedic biofilm infections as the subject of this book because these infections occur against a background of microbiological sterility in which modern molecular methods would be expected to find bacterial DNA, RNA-based microscopic methods would be expected to locate bacterial cells, and cultures would be negative. Moreover, in Orthopedics we find an already biofilm-adapted surgical group in which current strategies are based on the meticulous removal of compromised tissues, antibiotic options as based on high biofilm-killing local doses, and there are practical bedside strategies for dealing with biofilm infections. So here is where the new paradigm of biofilm infection meets the equally new paradigm of the culture negativity of biofilms, and this volume presents a conceptual synthesis that may soon combine the most effective molecular methods for the detection and identification of bacteria with a surgical discipline that is ready to help patients.

Phagocytosis is the engulfment of particulate matter by cells. It is a fundamental (and probably "primitive") cell biological process which is important in single celled organisms such as amoeba; multicellular animals including coelenterates; and in higher animals. In humans and other mammals, specialised immune cells (phagocytes) utilise phagocytosis in their crucial role of engulfing and destroying infecting microbes. Yet, surprisingly, the biophysics and biochemistry underlying the process has only become clear recently with the advent of genetic manipulation and advances in single cell imaging. In this volume, the aim is to bring together recent fundamental advances that give a clear picture of the underlying mechanism involved in phagocytosis. Not only is this an important topic in its own right, but a full understanding of the process will have a potential impact on human medicine, since as antibiotics become less effective in fight infection, researchers are looking at alternative approaches, including enhancing the "natural" immunity brought about by immune phagocytes. The aim is to provide a comprehensive volume on the topic, with separate chapters on identified recent advances, each written by the major contributors in each area. In addition, the volume will attempt to give a wider overview than is often the case in single author reviews, with an emphasis here on the cell biological understanding of phagocytosis using biophysical approaches alongside the biochemical and imaging approaches.

This definitive source provides practicing professionals and students in the occupational, environmental, and public health and safety fields with the functional basics of biological monitoring. The author examines how environmental exposures to particular chemicals are related to concentrations of markers in body tissues and fluids. Biological Monitoring integrates the applied sciences of industrial/environmental hygiene, epidemiology, public health, occupational medicine, toxicology, biochemistry, and analytical chemistry with the basic sciences to interpret the connections between exposures and lifestyle/environmental influences, and their effects on humans. This comprehensive introduction provides dependable, detailed coverage of:

• monitoring for harmful substances in the workplace
• the benefits and limitations of testing for critical levels of toxic materials in bodily tissues and fluids
• state-of-the-art developments in biological monitoring
• a wide variety of toxic chemicals and selected physical agents
• immunoassays
• monitoring for HIV and AIDS
• importance of exposure routes
• the most up-to-date methods of health and medical surveillance
• the interpretation of adduct concentrations
• biological exposure indices
• biological monitoring of pesticides
• biological monitoring in the home and around hazardous waste sites
• and much more

This concise, comprehensive guide is divided into two sections; nails and the skin. Each section includes information on the types of infections, aetiology, diagnostic procedures, such as sampling techniques, and therapy, including topical, systemic and adjunctive.

This is a thoroughly revised edition of a well-received reference work on helminthiases and their impact on worldwide public health. The carefully presented collection covers both common and neglected helminth infections. Readers will discover an up-date overview to helminth epidemiology (including molecular typing), specific biological, immunological and immunopathological aspects, diagnosis and latest perspectives of control. New contributions give particular attention to economic consequences of helminthiases, deworming programs and future public health approaches, as well as most recent findings in host immune responses. Helminths are long-lived multicellular organisms that have co-evolved with humans over many thousands of years. They are responsible for infections which affect around one fourth of the human population, at global level. Despite the huge efforts in research during the last years, effective control of helminth infections is still far from optimal standards and the resulting diseases remain neglected. The highly readable link of parasitological background and clinical application makes this book a valuable read not only for parasitologists but also physicians and medical students, health professionals as well as experts in public health issues. Moreover, all readers concerned with combating neglected parasitoses towards the Sustainable Development Goal SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) will understand the significance of this renewed volume.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of diseases frequently found in impoverished communities in tropical and sub-tropical countries. The risk for many of the NTDs is high in both deprived urban and rural areas of East Asia. Adapted to the endemic settings and characteristics of the diseases, a range of tools and strategies are currently being rolled out for the large-scale control of many NTDs. Both vector control measures and community sensitization programmes have for example been used to control dengue in urbanized settings. Challenges posed by yaws and lymphatic filariasis are being addressed by mass drug administration, while rabies requires the involvement of the veterinary public health sector for disease control. For leprosy, an elimination target has been defined; however, achieving this goal remains a considerable challenge. Food-borne trematodiases, on the other hand, are emerging and require a deeper understanding of its burden in East Asia and how these diseases can be tackled in a cost-effective manner. Finally, factors, such as an increase of non-communicable diseases due to changing lifestyles which accompany economic growth, the spreading HIV epidemic as well as climate change and the occurrence of natural disasters can potentially affect the epidemiology and control of NTDs. This volume discusses the mentioned topics in detail with contributions by experts in the respective research areas from different working environments.

In 2003, the word "coronavirus" spread across the globe, somewhat further than the virus that sparked the panic. In this book, expert researchers examine these devastating viruses through 23 state-of-the-art, widely applicable protocols with minute detail. Comprehensive and cutting-edge, the book serves as an ideal guide for all virologists and especially for those working with coronaviruses. Written by international experts, this book is relevant to a wide array of professions.

Anthropological contributions to the study of infectious disease and to the study of actual infectious disease eradication programmes have rarely been collected in one volume. In the era of AIDS and the global resurgance of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, there is widespread interest and concern about the cultural, ecological and political factors that are directly related to the increased prevalence of infectious disease. In this book, the authors have assembled the growing scholarship in one volume. Chapters explore the coevolution of genes and cultural traits; the cultural construction of 'disease' and how these models influence health-seeking behaviour; cultural adaptive strategies to infectious disease problems; the ways in which ethnography sheds light on epidemiological patterns of infectious disease; the practical and ethical dilemmas that anthropologists face by participating in infectious disease programmes; and the political ecology of infectious disease.

Though medically minor and very common, herpes simplex is a condition which is capable of causing considerable distress, for psychological and social as much as physical reasons. Herpes Simplex contrasts the image of the condition presented in the media with the medical and epidemiological evidence, and discusses ways in which the distress associated with the condition can be alleviated.
The first part of the book examines the impact of diagnosis and then explains the roles of accurate information and empathic support, medical treatment and support groups in learning to live with recurrent symptoms. Other chapters use the experiences of people with the condition in different parts of their bodies to illustrate how the meaning of herpes simplex and response to the symptoms alters in association with life changes. The final chapters review psychosocial research, discuss the importance of the Herpes Viruses Association in acquiring a store of knowledge about people's experiences, and highlight the significance of herpes simplex as a public health problem.
Herpes Simplex demonstrates the importance of a biopsychosocial approach. It will be invaluable to doctors, nurses and other health professionals, as well as to people troubled by the condition.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203137132

Discussing the systemic immune response in the contexts of health, disease, and therapy, this unique resource-the only broadly based book of its kind available on the subject-offers comprehensive examinations of the pathways and agents that affect the human immune response and provides state-of-the-art presentations on practical methods of immune modulation. Focuses on the immune response and modulation in infectious diseases, such as HIV, hepatitis, and parasitic infections and highlights immune modulating agents in gastrointestinal diseases, sepsis, cancer, and autoimmunity! Written by over 50 international authorities representing distinguished institutions in nine countries, Immune Modulating Agents -introduces basic immunoregulatory mechanisms as homeostasis -details cytokines, cellular and humoral immune responses, and hematopoiesis -describes neuroendocrine - immune system interactions and the role of psychological stress on immune competence -delineates factors that influence disease susceptibility, including nutrition -covers drug delivery systems, gene therapy, organ transplantation, arthritis treatment, and vaccination strategies -shows how to design clinical trials using immune modulating agents -and more!

Anthropological contributions to the study of infectious disease and to the study of actual infectious disease eradication programmes have rarely been collected in one volume. In the era of AIDS and the global resurgance of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria, there is widespread interest and concern about the cultural, ecological and political factors that are directly related to the increased prevalence of infectious disease. In this book, the authors have assembled the growing scholarship in one volume. Chapters explore the coevolution of genes and cultural traits; the cultural construction of 'disease' and how these models influence health-seeking behaviour; cultural adaptive strategies to infectious disease problems; the ways in which ethnography sheds light on epidemiological patterns of infectious disease; the practical and ethical dilemmas that anthropologists face by participating in infectious disease programmes; and the political ecology of infectious disease.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is highly endemic for several neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including viral, bacterial, protozoan and helminth infections. This new volume covers the most prevalent NTDs found in about 22 MENA countries emphasizing the disease burden, clinical manifestations and control approaches. Each individual chapter deals with one specific disease and is written by a group of experts on that topic.

A concise summary of vital information on drug targets and current therapy regimes for all of the major viral infections. The book brings together in a single volume aspects of antiviral therapy from diverse areas of research and practice, providing up-to-date coverage of recent developments. Starting from an overview of the history of antiviral chemotherapy, the book goes on to describe the development of drugs against HIV, herpesvirus, respiratory viruses, papillomaviruses and hepatitis virus infections. The drugs currently available are reviewed and possible therapies and drug targets for future prophylactic and therapeutic use are discussed.

A human being consists of a mammalian component and a multiplicity of microbes, collectively referred to as the "microbiota" or "microbiome," with which it has a symbiotic relationship. The microbiota is comprised of a variety of communities, the composition of each being dependent on the body site it inhabits. This community variation arises because the numerous locations on a human being provide very different environments, each of which favors the establishment of a distinct microbial community. Each community consists of bacteria, fungi and viruses with, in some cases, archaea and/or protozoa. It is increasingly being recognized that the indigenous microbiota plays an important role in maintaining the health of its human host. However, changes in the overall composition of a microbial community at a body site, or an increase in the proportion of a particular species in that community, can result in disease or other adverse consequences for the host. The Human Microbiota in Health and Disease: An Ecological and Community-Based Approach describes the nature of the various communities inhabiting humans as well as the important roles they play in human health and disease. It discusses techniques used to determine microbial community composition and features a chapter devoted to the many factors that underlie this mammalian-microbe symbiosis. Uniquely, the book adopts an ecological approach to examining the microbial community's composition at a particular body site and why certain factors can shift a community from a eubiotic to a dysbiotic state. The book is for undergraduates and postgraduates on courses with a module on the indigenous microbiota of humans. It will also be useful to scientists, clinicians, and others seeking information on the human microbiota and its role in health and disease.

This unique reference provides concise, single-source coverage of the clinical, research, and therapeutic aspects of dermatological problems associated with bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
Introduces many novel antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral agents
Highlighting the molecular biology as well as risk - benefit ratios of new diagnostic and treatment modalities, Cutaneous Infection and Therapy
evaluates the role of antimicrobial soaps in personal hygiene and research on preoperative skin preparation and infection rates
discusses reasons for the reduced risk of infection using occlusive wound dressings
explains the epidemiology, presentation, pathophysiology, and treatment of athlete's foot and fungal diseases of the scalp
presents new oral antifungals for the treatment of onychomycosis
examines the advantages and disadvantages of preparations to treat superficial fungal infections
addresses oral candidiasis in HIV infection and the resistance to antifungal therapy in AIDS patients
reviews the patterns of candidiasis in children and current approaches to antifungal therapy
covers the epidemiology, implications, and management of herpes in pregnant women and newborns
and much more

This up-to-the-minute and comprehensive resource lucidly covers gene therapy for lung diseases from existing technologies delivering foreign DNA to the lungs via the airways or circulation to promising new approaches for the further development of safe and efficient gene delivery systems.

Molecular biology and genetics techniques now dominate viral research in attempts to cure diseases such as AIDS. Viral Genome Methods is a practical guide to the newest molecular techniques, providing step-by-step protocols to be used in the laboratory. Recognized authorities and pioneers in viral research pass on their expertise to you.

Leading international virologists review the state-of-the-art in the biology, pathogenesis, and epidemiology of the hepatitis viruses. The authorities writing here examine the five well-recognized hepatitis viruses, A through E, and some of the newer agents, the so-called non- A-E hepatitis viruses. They also provide in-depth discussions of the biological nature of the viruses, the pathogenesis of the acute and chronic diseases they cause, the methods and ease with which they are transmitted, and their clinical signs and symptoms. Additional topics include diagnostic tests and routine blood screening, new vaccines, and the use of interferon and antiviral drugs. Viral Hepatitis: Diagnosis, Therapy, and Prevention provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date survey of the hepatitis viruses currently available

This book provides salient information on all aspects of influenza/flu viruses affecting animals and humans. It specifically reviews the properties and replication of influenza viruses; their evolution and emergence; epidemiology; role of migratory birds in disease transmission; clinical signs in humans, animals, and poultry; pathogenesis and pathogenicity; public health importance and potential threats; diagnosis; prevention and control measures; and pandemic preparedness. Influenza/flu viruses evolve continuously and jump species causing epidemics as well as pandemics in both human and animals. During the past 150 years, various strains of influenza virus like the Spanish flu, Asian flu, Hong Kong flu, bird flu, and swine flu were responsible for high mortality in humans as well as birds. High mutation rates, antigenic shifts, drifts, reassortment phenomena, and the development of antiviral drug resistance all contribute to ineffective chemotherapy and vaccines against influenza viruses. Due to their devastating nature, high zoonotic implications, and high mortality in humans and poultry, they have a severe impact on the socioeconomic status of countries. Disease awareness, rapid and accurate diagnosis, surveillance, strict biosecurity, timely adoption of appropriate preventive and control measures, and pandemic preparedness are crucial to help in decreasing virus transmission, thus reducing clinical cases, deaths, and pandemic threats.

Acinetobacter details the clinical aspects of this bacterium responsible for many infections in hospitalized patients. This reference explains the importance of these organisms, both from the patient's viewpoint and the economic perspective, and provides clinicians with the knowledge they need to control these bacteria.

Authored by electron microscopists and leading members of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), the Atlas of Virus Diagrams includes chapters on virus classification. The diagrams, selected for content and historic and aesthetic value, illustrate vertebrate, invertebrate, and plant bacterial viruses taken from English, French, and German language virological literature. The book presents this information in three sections:
o Overviews, including vertebrate and plant viruses
o Viruses with cubic and helical symmetry
o Viruses with binary symmetry (tailed bacteriophages).

This multivolume handbook presents the most authoritative and comprehensive reference work on major zoonoses of the world. The Handbook of Zoonoses covers most diseases communicable to humans, as well as those diseases common to both animals and humans. It identifies animal diseases that are host specific and reviews the effects of various human diseases on animals. Discussions address diseases that remain important public and animal health problems and the techniques that can control and prevent them.
The chapters are written by internationally recognized scientists in their respective areas of disease, who work or have worked extensively in the most affected areas of the world. The emphasis for each zoonosis is on the epidemiology of the disease, the clinical syndromes and carrier states in infected animals and humans, and the most current methods for diagnosis and approaches to control. For infectious agents or biologic toxins, which may be transmitted by foods of animal origin, a strong focus is placed on food safety measures. The etiologic and therapeutic aspects of each disease important to epidemiology and control are identified.

This volume describes the structure and function of bacterial toxins and presents a comprehensive review of virulence factors, providing recent information concerning cell physiology and biochemistry, as well as new toxin tools for experimental studies and clinical therapy. A wide variety of toxic proteins, including the toxins that cause diptheria, cholera, pertussis, shigellosis, tetanus, botulism and anthrax, are discussed.;The work is aimed at microbiologists, biochemists, endocrinologists, toxicologists, infectious disease specialists, pathologists, public health officials, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines.

The consequences of diseases involving the immune system such as AIDS, and chronic inflammatory diseases such as bronchial-asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis, now account for a considerable economic burden to governments worldwide. In response there has been an enormous research effort investigating the basic mechanisms underlying such diseases, and a tremendous drive to identify novel therapeutic applications for their prevention and treatment. Though a plethora of immunological studies have been published in recent years, little has been written about the implications of such research for drugs development. As a consequence, this area has not gained the prominence of other fields such as molecular pharmacology or neuropharmacology, and a focul information source for the many pharmacologists interested in diseases of the immune system remains unpublished.
The Handbook of Immunopharmacology series provides such a source through the commissioning of a comprehensive collection of volumes on all aspects of immunopharmacology. Editors have been sought after for each volume who are not only active in their respective areas of expertise, but who also have a distinctly pharmacological bias to their research.
The series follows three main themes, each represented by volumes on individual component topics. The first covers each of the major cell types and classes of inflammatory mediators ("cells and mediators"). The second covers each of the major organ systems and the diseases involving the immune and inflammatory responses that can effect them ("systems"). The third covers different classes of drugs currently used to treat these diseases as well as those under development ("drugs").
This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the adhsion molecules, processes and concepts that govern both inflammatory and infectious diseases, and also deals in detail with the specific in vivo pathways involved.
The first chapter introduces some of the molecules that mediate leukocyte adhesion and ranges from their discovery using monoclonal antibodies and a congenital adhesion deficiency, to their antagonism in preliminary clinical trials as novel therapeutics. An in-depth analysis of the structure, distribution and function of the cell surface glycoproteins that regulates lymphocyte (specific immune response), granulocyte (acute inflammatory response) and metastatic cell (malignant processes) adhesions respectively is provided by the next three chapters. Chapters 5 and 7 detail the molecular structure, intracellular pathways, specificty of carbohydrate interactions, and signalling of the molecules that regulate leukocyte-leukocyte and leukocyte-mesenchymal cell interactions.
There follows an exploration into the contributions of specific molecules in inflammatory diseases in various organs from chapters 8-11. The concluding part is unique to this volume by reviewing the comparable, and in some cases same, cell surface molecules that mediate virus, bacteria and parasite interactions with host cells.
The research is far from complete, but Adhesion Molecules is extremely comprehensive and will be a valuable resource for many a year to come.

This multivolume handbook presents the most authoritative and comprehensive reference work on major zoonoses of the world. The Handbook of Zoonoses covers most diseases communicable to humans, as well as those diseases common to both animals and humans. It identifies animal diseases that are host specific and reviews the effects of various human diseases on animals. Discussions address diseases that remain important public and animal health problems and the techniques that can control and prevent them.
The chapters are written by internationally recognized scientists in their respective areas of disease, who work or have worked extensively in the most affected areas of the world. The emphasis for each zoonosis is on the epidemiology of the disease, the clinical syndromes and carrier states in infected animals and humans, and the most current methods for diagnosis and approaches to control. For infectious agents or biologic toxins, which may be transmitted by foods of animal origin, a strong focus is placed on food safety measures. The etiologic and therapeutic aspects of each disease important to epidemiology and control are identified.