Abstract
Infectious diseases may inflict great economic losses to various animal industries. Infectious diseases of horses are not different in this regard. Infectious agents may strike individual animals or there may be herd outbreaks on a larger scale. The necessity to recognize individual infectious diseases through targeted clinical examination, to identify the agent, and to come up with therapeutic strategies quickly is paramount to preventing the spread of a disease and potentially devastating losses. Sellon and Long's recent collection, Equine Infectious Diseases, achieves these goals by filling a void through a comprehensive review of various infectious equine agents.
The book is divided into seven sections, each containing specific topics and chapters. There are a total of 72 chapters covering 619 pages. The individual chapters are written by equine experts representing multiple countries and continents. The contributors range from residents to professionals of worldwide reputation. Often there are clinicians and veterinary pathologists teaming up as chapter writers.
The book is structured in two dimensions. There is a horizontal dimension covering various potential infectious agents that can typically be encountered within specific equine organ systems. There is a vertical dimension covering individual agents such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The book also has a third dimension terminating with guidelines of how to prevent and control equine infectious diseases. Agent chapters are rigorously structured covering etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical findings, diagnosis, pathologic findings, therapy, prevention, and, when appropriate, public health considerations.
The book is of excellent printing quality. With the exception of a few photomicrographs (fungal diseases), it contains a plethora of excellent colored drawings, clinical and pathological photographs, and schematic illustrations of parasite life cycles and molecular biology phenomena. Various tables and boxes summarize text highlights. References are up-to-date. The index is adequate. A CD-ROM covers references with direct links to PubMed citations and represents an excellent engine for topic and author searches.
The intended audience primarily is clinical faculty and practitioners. It is of limited use to veterinary pathologists because of lack of depth but does contain excellent gross and microscopic images for a quick review of the typical morphologic features of equine infectious diseases. The book belongs on the shelves of equine specialists and residents. It represents the most accurate work in this area of veterinary medicine. The high standard together with its price tag justify investment.