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Latent herpes virus infections in veterinary medicine
520
BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 140,5
rabbits, guinea-pigs, hamsters, gerbils etc . follows together with notes on some exotics such as chinchillas and monkeys. The book also has a final chapter devoted to the current plight of the tortoise . The advantages and disadvanta s of each species are presented in an objective and unbiased way . Mr Alcock hopes to encourage the avoidance of the mistakes of those who go out to buy a pair of guinea-pigs and come back with a couple of rats . Longevity, often a consideration in the acquisition of such pets, is discussed and I feel that perhaps the author is a little optimistic in his estimates . Certainly most of my rabbit patients are geriatrics long before they reach ten years and after recommending this excellent little book to them, I can foresee a certain amount of flak when they read that rabbits are only really geriatric when they are over 15 years! One minor criticism involves the quoting of prices-a notoriously dangerous thing to do in any book, even in a time of falling inflation, particularly when veterinary fees are the subject under discussion! Following the descriptions of the animals themselves, chapters on problems such as bedding, hygiene, handling and sexing are all dealt with in a simple, sensible manner . I particularly liked the section on school pets in which Mr Alcock highlights the need for continuous responsibility, a fact regretfully often forgotten by many otherwise caring teachers once school has finished . Owners uninitiated in client/veterinary surgeon relationships are gently guided along sensible lines . The law is simply explained, and the joys and problems of breeding are described . Together with its companion volumes on Cats, Dogs and Birds this book can
only enhance the profession's reputation as caring communicators when it is recommended to clients . '1' TIRN'ER
Latent Herpes Virus Infections in Veterinary Medicine. Ed . G . Wittman, R. M . Gaskell and
H . J . R. Zilla . Netherlands : Martinus Nijhoff. 1984 . Pp . 500 . Price £49 .50 . This book is a 500 page report of papers on latent herpes virus infections given at a seminar within the series Current Topics of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science . The subject of laiency of herpes viruses was specifically selected because of its relevance to the control of Aujeszky's disease in pigs and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis . Approximately 100 pages are devoted to each of these two viruses including contributions on the recent technique of endonuclease restriction analysis to identify field and vaccine isolates in recrudescence, superinfection and in epidemiological surveys . The first 150 pages are devoted mainly to the mouse/man model of herpes simplex virus . Although most of the advances seem to arise from the mouse model this section competes with other reviews specifically on this topic . The poultry section covers Marek's disease virus and the turkey virus, while the feline, equine, caprine, and African wildebeest viruses receive variable coverage . Some of the reports are comprehensive reviews while others record the results of recent experiments. As a specialist publication this volume merits a place in veterinary libraries or on the bookshelf of research workers in this field . N .;]ON ERIN
BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 140,5
rabbits, guinea-pigs, hamsters, gerbils etc . follows together with notes on some exotics such as chinchillas and monkeys. The book also has a final chapter devoted to the current plight of the tortoise . The advantages and disadvanta s of each species are presented in an objective and unbiased way . Mr Alcock hopes to encourage the avoidance of the mistakes of those who go out to buy a pair of guinea-pigs and come back with a couple of rats . Longevity, often a consideration in the acquisition of such pets, is discussed and I feel that perhaps the author is a little optimistic in his estimates . Certainly most of my rabbit patients are geriatrics long before they reach ten years and after recommending this excellent little book to them, I can foresee a certain amount of flak when they read that rabbits are only really geriatric when they are over 15 years! One minor criticism involves the quoting of prices-a notoriously dangerous thing to do in any book, even in a time of falling inflation, particularly when veterinary fees are the subject under discussion! Following the descriptions of the animals themselves, chapters on problems such as bedding, hygiene, handling and sexing are all dealt with in a simple, sensible manner . I particularly liked the section on school pets in which Mr Alcock highlights the need for continuous responsibility, a fact regretfully often forgotten by many otherwise caring teachers once school has finished . Owners uninitiated in client/veterinary surgeon relationships are gently guided along sensible lines . The law is simply explained, and the joys and problems of breeding are described . Together with its companion volumes on Cats, Dogs and Birds this book can
only enhance the profession's reputation as caring communicators when it is recommended to clients . '1' TIRN'ER
Latent Herpes Virus Infections in Veterinary Medicine. Ed . G . Wittman, R. M . Gaskell and
H . J . R. Zilla . Netherlands : Martinus Nijhoff. 1984 . Pp . 500 . Price £49 .50 . This book is a 500 page report of papers on latent herpes virus infections given at a seminar within the series Current Topics of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science . The subject of laiency of herpes viruses was specifically selected because of its relevance to the control of Aujeszky's disease in pigs and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis . Approximately 100 pages are devoted to each of these two viruses including contributions on the recent technique of endonuclease restriction analysis to identify field and vaccine isolates in recrudescence, superinfection and in epidemiological surveys . The first 150 pages are devoted mainly to the mouse/man model of herpes simplex virus . Although most of the advances seem to arise from the mouse model this section competes with other reviews specifically on this topic . The poultry section covers Marek's disease virus and the turkey virus, while the feline, equine, caprine, and African wildebeest viruses receive variable coverage . Some of the reports are comprehensive reviews while others record the results of recent experiments. As a specialist publication this volume merits a place in veterinary libraries or on the bookshelf of research workers in this field . N .;]ON ERIN