Abstract
Americans spend an average of 4 hours and 59 minutes a day on leisure activities. That amounts to almost 1.6 billion hours a day at the current population of the United States. Contracting infections is probably not something most people think of as they embark on their chosen leisure activities, but an awareness of the potential perils is healthy to consider and have knowledge. There are many apps and books out there where information can be accessed on specific infectious diseases, but there are only a couple of sources where one can look up infectious diseases associated with recreational leisure activities.
Infections of Leisure, as the title accurately reflects, chronicles the very large number of infections that one might encounter while pursuing leisure activities—hiking, water activities, travel, sports, gardening, sex, camping—but also those that might be contracted by contact with pets, livestock, tattoo artists, a Caribbean cruise, or exotic cuisine. The volume is organized into 19 chapters, each covering the infectious diseases and other maladies associated with particular activities or animals, written by experts in the various specific topics. The book contains many interesting and informative photographs, maps, and tables. The chapters are clearly written and well edited.
Those readers expecting a light and entertaining frolic through these topics will be disappointed. This is a highly technical, dense tome suitable as a textbook or medical reference source. In fact, this reviewer was a bit confused about the intended audience—as I read the chapters I found myself variously wondering if the book was intended for the general public, undergraduate microbiology students, medical students, or practicing physicians. Some chapters, for example, the ones titled “The Ancient Curse: Rabies” and “Sports: the Infectious Hazards,” seemed more targeted to a general audience. The other chapters on infections and intoxications from the ocean and fresh waters and various pet animals, include detailed epidemiological data and even chemotherapeutic regimens, suggesting that the intended audience might be practicing physicians or medical students. The question of intended audience was somewhat further obfuscated by the inclusion of Practical Tips at the end of the chapters. The Practical Tips sections are summaries of the important points from the chapter and tips on how to avoid contracting infections covered in the chapter. Practical Tips mainly seemed geared to a general audience, but often came at the end of chapters filled with highly technical details that would probably only be read by microbiologists or physicians.
Some surprising information was included. Fascinating sections on shark attacks and other marine trauma, leading into a section on the various infections that can result from such injuries. The same chapter has detailed information about various invertebrate and vertebrate envenomation—jellyfish and other Cnidaria, stingrays, scorpion fish, sea snakes, and similar venomous animals of the sea. There is also a chapter titled “Diseases Transmitted by Man’s Worst Friend: The Rat”—very interesting, but the connection to leisure activities is a bit obscure.
I found myself noting some minor factual lapses, such as a reference to Chlamydia psittaci by the former, briefly used, genus name Chlamydophila; a similar problem with outdated taxonomy for Cryptococcus spp., both in the chapter on diseases transmitted by birds. Also the inclusion of a section on histoplasmosis in the chapter on diseases transmitted by cats even though there is no evidence that cats can transmit this illness to humans. There is also repetition of some of the information across multiple chapters. Rabies, for example, is covered in its own chapter but also as a topic in several other chapters. In only one of these instances is rabies referenced to the full chapter dedicated to that disease. The volume would have been strengthened by better cross-referencing to avoid repetition.
There is a wealth of information in Infections of Leisure. The long list of infectious maladies chronicled here might be enough to deter some readers from their leisure pursuits, particularly those tending toward nosophobia. However, with that caveat, the large number of hours spent on leisure activities by Americans warrants a book about disease risks often associated with those activities, and the public would be well served by learning something about the topics covered in Infections of Leisure. In its present form, it is unlikely that this volume will be read by audiences other than microbiologists and physicians, given the density of the information. In this reviewer’s opinion, there is a need for a more general, readable version of this information—perhaps something along the lines of the books by John M. Barry and Alfred W. Crosby about influenza, who managed to make disease interesting to the American public.