Abstract
This two-part volume provides one-stop shopping for anyone interested in just about any aspect of bluetongue disease. Based on the Third International Bluetongue Symposium, held in Italy in the fall of 2003, the publication consists of papers written by a wide range of authors, most of whom presented their scientific papers at this large meeting. The list of authors reads like a “who's who” of the bluetongue research and regulatory community. This symposium occurred a full 10 years after the Second International Bluetongue Symposium, and so this publication represents findings from the last decade. The publication is broken logically into sections, including global situation, epidemiology and vectors, bluetongue virus and disease, diagnostics, vaccines, control, and trade. The book is well edited and flows logically, which is an extremely difficult feat to accomplish for a compilation of papers. Much of the material might not be of interest to veterinary pathologists; however, the chapters on pathogenesis are especially illuminating and provide insights into the differences seen in the disease in various species. The final chapter, a three-page overview, written by B. I. Osburn, serves to encapsulate all the papers, and for those who wish to become current on the disease but do not wish to peruse the entire two volumes, could serve as a readily and easily digestible summary of pertinent research and regulatory issues surrounding this globally important disease of ruminants.