ASM Press

Biological safety: principles and practices, 4th ed.

Over 50 medical, biological, and public health scientists provide a broad reference for biosafety professionals; those who teach them; and those who work with pathogenic agents in research, production, or teaching. They cover identifying, assessing, and controlling hazards; administrative controls; and special considerations for biosafety. No dates are noted for previous editions, but new material is added here on biological toxins, packaging and shipping, biological safety program management, occupational medicine in a biomedical research setting, safety considerations in the really scary BSL-4 maximum containment laboratory, and special considerations for agricultural pathogens. Updated information is also included on such topics as prions and protozoa and helminths. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Exposure; a guide to sources of infections.

Stürchler (Basel U., Switzerland) designed this volume for clinicians, public health professionals, epidemiologists, and clinical microbiologists working to identify infectious disease agents and to create exposure histories for individuals with regard to human contact, animal contact, the natural environment, food, and travel. Under these categories, specific sources of exposure are listed (e.g. milk and dairy products); information regarding the source is then subdivided by agent classifications. The information generally includes statistics on populations, conditions, and climates where exposure has been prevalent. There is separate coverage of exposure risk in different animal types, human domiciles and living conditions, and types of work. Additional chapters provide clinical information on nosocomical infections, and an encyclopedic listing of infectious agents. Also included are a table reviewing the taxonomy of many human-infecting and some animal-infecting agents, an exposure checklist, a glossary, and a list of acronyms used in the text. An extensive bibliography is provided as well. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Food allergy.

Aimed at clinicians, scientists, educators and regulators, this text combines current knowledge and hypotheses about food allergy treatments, research directions, bioinformatics tools, and industry and governmental regulation guidelines into a single reference. The contributors examine the identification and characterization of allergenic proteins within food sources, and the underlying mechanisms of treatment options. Particular emphasis is placed on clinical aspects of food allergy and advances in diagnosis; cutting- edge immunochemical theories and molecular mechanisms; immunotherapy and the role of animal models in advancing food allergy research; the effects of food processing on allergenicity; and methods for preparing hypoallergenic foods. Three chapters offer details on finding and implementing existing bioinformatics tools and include current websites and sample uses of databases. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Pathogenesis of human pulmonary tuberculosis; insights from the rabbit model.

This volume is the result of 80 combined years of research conducted by Dannenberg (Center for Tuberculosis, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins U.) and his mentor, Dr. Max B. Lurie. The pathogenesis, immunology, and treatment of human pulmonary tuberculosis in all its stages are discussed with particular focus on the experimental rabbit model; the disease, when expressed in rabbits, most resembles human tuberculosis. One chapter shows how antibodies contribute to delayed-type hypersensitivity and cell mediated immunity, both responses required to control the growth of the tubercle bacillus. Other topics include the structure and pathology of tuberculous lesions; the histochemistry of macrophage activation; the roles of various cytokines; and the effects of hormones and x-irradiation on the disease. Vaccine administration and development are also addressed, and the final chapter suggests paths for future research. Materials collected in seven appendices include lists of publications by Lurie and Dannenberg, guidelines for preventing the transmission of tuberculosis in health-care settings, and abstracts of each chapter in the volume that may aid navigation. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)