Abstract
Flint, S. J., Enquist, L. W., Racaniello, V. R., and Skalka, A. M. Principles of Virology: Molecular Biology, Pathogenesis, and Control of Animal Viruses, 2nd ed. 944 pp. ASM Press, Washington, DC, 2004. $109.95. ISBN 1-55581-259-7.
The second edition of Principles of Virology is divided into four major units: The Science of Virology, a brief introduction (61 pp.); Molecular Biology, which takes up half the book (426 pp.); Pathogenesis (205 pp.), with a large section on human immunodeficiency virus (30 pp.); and Control and Evolution (99 pp.). Obviously, the emphasis of the book is on viral replication, and it is wonderfully successful in treating this aspect of virology. This is the most visually attractive virology book ever published, and the effort invested in illustrating replication gratifies the reader. The numerous illustrations are detailed and highly colored and are sequenced so that the reader can easily follow transitions and progress of replication. Photographs of histology, immunofluorescence, and electron micrographs are all superb. The writing style is direct and free of jargon; new terms are introduced in bold type and are further explained in an extensive glossary or in one of the numerous colored boxes that cover background, clarification of terms, explanations of details and specific experiments, and health policy statements. Two excellent appendices cover (A) Structure, Genome Organization, and Infectious Cycles and (B) Pathogenesis Snapshots (Diseases, Epidemiology, and Disease Mechanisms of Selected Animal Viruses [in human beings], etc).
For the student of basic virology or for the instructor of veterinary virology, this text is invaluable and could be enhanced if a CD of illustrations accompanied the text. For the pathogenesist this text provides a clear and updated compendium of replication. However, mechanisms of pathogenesis applicable to veterinary diseases and problems are given little attention. Indeed, this text on animal viruses largely fails to address the viruses of animals. The text is a “must have” for virology instructors and in any research or teaching library; its utility on the shelf of a pathologist will be more limited.