Synopses & Reviews
The international public health scare that resulted last year when a man infected with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis flew overseas from the United States and back illustrates both the fear and the potential impact of highly infectious diseases in a global age. At a time when scientists warn of the potential for an influenza epidemic to rival the deadly outbreak of 1919 and newspapers feature alarming headlines about incidences of mad cow disease, infectious disease will be a critical area of concern and scientific study in the twenty-first century.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;Infectious Disease collects thirty of the most exciting, innovative, and significant articles on communicable illness published inthe pages of ScientificAmerican magazine since 1993. With sections devoted to viral infections, infectious disease, the immune system, and global management and treatment issues, Infectious Disease provides general readers and students with an excellent overview of recent research in the field. Roger I. Glass discusses a potential vaccine for the rotavirusand#8212;a leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea world wide and frequent killer of young children in developing nations. Jeffery K. Taubenberger and colleagues investigate the virulent strain of influenza that killed up to 40 million people in 1919 to suggest treatments and recommend preventative measures. And Paul R. Epstein looks into whether global warming could be harmful to our health, untangling research that suggests that many diseases will flourish as Earthand#8217;s atmosphere heats up. and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;The prominence of disease in the ecology and evolution of human society has spurred investment in research and technology development, and, as a consequence, the topic is much discussed in the general and scientific media. Infectious Disease is the essential sourcebook for anyone looking for the solid science and compelling narrative behind the stories that make headlines.
About the Author
Scientific American, the premier general-interest science magazine, reports the most important developments in modern science, medicine, and technology to more than three million readers worldwide. The oldest continuously published magazine in the United States, it has been at the forefront of science for more than 150 years. The Scientific American Readers Evolution and Oceans are also published by the University of Chicago Press.
Table of Contents
Evolution and the Origins of DiseaseVIRAL INFECTIONS
and#160;and#160; Are Viruses Alive?
and#160;and#160; Luis P. Villarreal
and#160;and#160; New Hope for Defeating Rotavirus
and#160;and#160; Roger I. Glass
and#160;and#160;and#160;Capturing aand#160;Killer Flu Virus
and#160;and#160; Jeffrey K. Taubenberger, Ann H. Reid and Thomasand#160;G. Fanning
and#160;and#160; The Unmet Challenges of Hepatitis C
and#160;and#160; Adrianand#160;M. Di Bisceglie and Bruce R.and#160;Bacon
and#160;and#160; Hope in a Vial
and#160;and#160; Carol Ezzell
and#160;and#160; A New Assault on HIV
and#160;and#160; Gary Stix
and#160;and#160; A Cure forand#160;Rabies?
and#160;and#160; Rodney E. Willoughby, Jr.
and#160;and#160; Beyond Chicken Soup
and#160;and#160; William A. Haseltineand#160;
and#160;and#160;and#160;INFECTIOUS DISEASE
and#160;and#160; The Bacteria behind Ulcers
and#160;and#160; Martin J. Blaser
and#160;and#160;
and#160;and#160; The Challenges of STDs
and#160;and#160; Philip E. Ross
and#160;and#160; Can Chlamydia Be Stopped?
and#160;and#160; David M. Ojcius, Toni Darville and Patrick M. Bavoil
and#160;and#160; Tackling Malaria
and#160;and#160; Claire Panosian Dunavan
and#160;and#160; Attacking Anthrax
and#160;and#160; John T. A. Young and R. John Collier
and#160;and#160; The Prion Diseases
and#160;and#160; Stanley B. Prusiner
and#160;and#160; Detecting Mad Cow Disease
and#160;and#160; Stanley B. Prusiner
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
and#160;and#160; Infectious Diseases and the Immune System
and#160;and#160; William E. Paul
and#160;and#160; Immunity's Early-Warning System
and#160;and#160; Luke A. J. O'Neill
and#160;and#160; The Long Arm of the Immune System
and#160;and#160; Jacques Banchereau
and#160;and#160; Intrigue at the Immune Synapse
and#160;and#160; Daniel M. Davis
and#160;and#160; Peacekeepers of the Immune System
and#160;and#160; Zoltan Fehervari and Simon Sakaguchi
and#160;and#160; New Predictors of Disease
and#160;and#160; Abner Louis Notkins
and#160;and#160; Taming Lupus
and#160;and#160; Moncef Zouali
GLOBAL MANAGEMENTand#160;AND TREATMENT ISSUES
and#160;and#160; Preparing for a Pandemic
and#160;and#160; W. Wayt Gibbs and Christine Soares
and#160;and#160; If Smallpox Strikes Portland...
and#160;and#160; Chris L. Barrett, Stephen G. Eubank and James P. Smith
and#160;and#160; Is Global Warming Harmful to Health?
and#160;and#160; Paul R. Epstein
and#160;and#160;and#160;The Challenge of Antibiotic Resistance
and#160;and#160; Stuart B. Levy
and#160;and#160; Behind Enemy Lines
and#160;and#160; K. C. Nicolaou and Christopher N. C. Boddy
and#160;and#160; An Antibiotic Resistance Fighter
and#160;and#160; Gary Stix
Illustration Credits