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Advances in veterinary immunology 1982
Veterinary Microbiology, 9 (1984) 309--311 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands
309
Book Reviews INFECTIOUS CANCERS Infectious Cancers o f Animals and Man. Richard N. T.-W.-Fiennes. Academic Press, L o n d o n , England, 1982, x + 160 pp., £11.00 (U.K. only), U.S. $ 20.50, ISBN 0.12.256040.x.
As with any author who singlehandedly champions the authorship of a volume on such an important and general topic as the causation of cancer in man and animals, Richard N. T.-W.-Fiennes sets a colossal task for himself. As a zoo pathologist with experience in comparative medicine and therefore, n o t necessarily an authority in the field of cancer or virology, he nevertheless does a good job of summarizing what is known about the theories of cancer causation, as well as reviewing animal cancers that are known to be caused by viruses and h u m a n cancers with possible viral etiology. Like any volume of this kind, the book lacks any real value for workers in the field of viruscancer research because of its brevity and simplicity. However, it is quite useful to the layman and to non-experts in the general field of health care, as is the author's intention. This book contains 10 chapters, of which the second, third and tenth deal with the theories of cancer causation, somatic cell t h e o r y and the viral theory. Other chapters deal with a number of well d o c u m e n t e d cancers of animals that are caused by known viruses, including those of cats, chickens, cattle and non-human primates. One chapter deals with h u m a n malignancies with possible viral etiology, but u n f o r t u n a t e l y lacks m e n t i o n of the important discovery of the role of HTLV, a human retrovirus strongly associated with adult T-cell leukemia in man. Unlike other Academic Press publications, the book fails to mention the present affiliation of the author or the price of the volume. K. NAZERIAN (U.S.D.A., Regional Poultry Research Lab. 3606 East Mr. Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, U.S.A.) A D V A N C E S IN V E T E R I N A R Y IMMUNOLOGY 1 9 8 2
Advances in Veterinary I m m u n o l o g y 1982. Developments in Animal and Veterinary Sciences. 12. F. Kristensen and D.F. Antczak {Editors). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1983, Vi + 312 pp., US $61.75 (in U.S.A. and Canada), Dfl. 145.00 {rest of world), ISBN 0-444-42191-2.
This book is an indexed, hardcover version of the 1983, Vol. 4 special issue o f Veterinary I m m u n o l o g y and Immunopathology, devoted entirely to review articles on various topics related to t h a t discipline. Subscription to the above journal includes the text of these articles, but not the Index.
310 Advances in Veterinary Immunology 1982 is composed of six widely varied reviews on topics ranging from fundamental immunology to clinical aspects and techniques, which present a balanced coverage that will appeal to a wide readership. The first article is entitled "The Genetic Control of A n t i b o d y F o r m a t i o n " by R.K. Seide and J.M. Kehoe. It deals comprehensively with theoretical considerations and current knowledge derived mainly from experimental studies in the mouse and man. The authors also discuss the regulation of a n t i b o d y formation in other mammalian species drawing parallels to experimental findings and making suggestions for possible similar studies in the domestic animals. They present a challenge to veterinary immunologists to look for new approaches and to extend the perspective of veterinary immunology. The second paper, "Bovine Immunoglobulins: An Augmented Review" by J.E. Butler, is a very thorough, critical treatment of virtually all published information on bovine immunoglobulins. In 110 pages, including about 350 references augmented with previously unpublished data, the author reviews general and biological characteristics of bovine immunoglobulins, and extensively describes the methodology involved in the preparation of immunoglobulin fractions and their antisera, detection, quantitation and s t u d y techniques. The paper is written in a very readable style, including practical interpretations, and numerous illustrations. Of note, is the author's closing c o m m e n t a r y in which he points out an apparent lack of interest in the study of bovine immunoglobulins by granting agencies concerned with h u m a n health or by the agricultural agencies who consider that such studies are too basic. He stresses the need for uniformity and reliability in methodology and the establishment of international centers for standardization. This review is authoritative and of t e x t b o o k quality. A comparatively short, but comprehensive review by S. Lloyd entitled " E f f e c t of Pregnancy and Lactation upon I n f e c t i o n " examines the present state of knowledge on periparturient immunosuppression, and the influence of the latter upon infection. Most of the information on this subject has come from studies in man and laboratory animals and relatively little knowledge is available for domestic animals, although some clinical data originate from observations on helminth infections in sheep and other animals. The topic is well-handled and appropriately summarized, pointing out the need for much more work to identify the mechanisms responsible for periparturient immunosuppression in domestic animals. The f o u r t h paper, "Review of Neutrophil Adherence, Chemotaxis, Phagocytosis and Killing" by G.S. Smith and J.H. Lumsden, is a well-written, detailed review largely concerned with some important aspects of neutrophil functions in man, domestic and laboratory animals as they pertain to host defences against microorganisms. The review includes over 400 references, and four tables of annotated citations on applicable conditions in man. The authors conclude the review with the statement t h a t "While the study of neutrophil functions has received limited attention in veterinary medicine as compared to h u m a n medicine, recent publications indicate an awareness
311 of the need to characterize neutrophil functions in healthy and diseased animals, and it is likely that increased interest in these areas will identify neutrophil function defects relevant to the pathogenesis of disease in domestic species. Identification of neutrophil dysfunctions in domestic animals may in turn lead to altered breeding selection, and hopefully improved treatment regimes." The fifth paper, " T h e I m m u n e Response to Virus Infections" by D.E. Onions, is a comprehensive review of relationships between virus structure and antigenicity, virus host--cell interactions and other aspects of the immune response to virus infections, mainly from the viewpoint of theoretical immunology. The author indicates that there is a need for new insights into the protective immune response in order to counter emerging problems. In this way, the immunologist can help to control diseases that have not been amenable to vaccination and to produce vaccines based on synthetic peptides and recombinant DNA technology. The final article, "Serum's L y m p h o c y t e Immunoregulatory Factors ( S L I F ) " by O. Barta, reviews the role of serum or plasma as potential nonspecific regulators of immune responses, both in vitro as well as in vivo. This review does not solve problems; rather, it identifies those that have been poorly defined which, in turn, may inspire others to conduct further investigations in this field. In conclusion, this volume gives detailed overviews of the chosen topics and provides a large number of up-to-date references which readers will find to be a valuable source of information on these and related topics. A minor criticism of the book is the presence of varying type styles and a few typographical errors which invariably occur in photo offset printing utilizing the author's original manuscript. The book can be recommended as a very useful source of information for those with an interest in immunology and immunopathology. L. NIILO (Agriculture Canada, Animal Diseases Research Institute, Box 640, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada TIJ 3Z4)
309
Book Reviews INFECTIOUS CANCERS Infectious Cancers o f Animals and Man. Richard N. T.-W.-Fiennes. Academic Press, L o n d o n , England, 1982, x + 160 pp., £11.00 (U.K. only), U.S. $ 20.50, ISBN 0.12.256040.x.
As with any author who singlehandedly champions the authorship of a volume on such an important and general topic as the causation of cancer in man and animals, Richard N. T.-W.-Fiennes sets a colossal task for himself. As a zoo pathologist with experience in comparative medicine and therefore, n o t necessarily an authority in the field of cancer or virology, he nevertheless does a good job of summarizing what is known about the theories of cancer causation, as well as reviewing animal cancers that are known to be caused by viruses and h u m a n cancers with possible viral etiology. Like any volume of this kind, the book lacks any real value for workers in the field of viruscancer research because of its brevity and simplicity. However, it is quite useful to the layman and to non-experts in the general field of health care, as is the author's intention. This book contains 10 chapters, of which the second, third and tenth deal with the theories of cancer causation, somatic cell t h e o r y and the viral theory. Other chapters deal with a number of well d o c u m e n t e d cancers of animals that are caused by known viruses, including those of cats, chickens, cattle and non-human primates. One chapter deals with h u m a n malignancies with possible viral etiology, but u n f o r t u n a t e l y lacks m e n t i o n of the important discovery of the role of HTLV, a human retrovirus strongly associated with adult T-cell leukemia in man. Unlike other Academic Press publications, the book fails to mention the present affiliation of the author or the price of the volume. K. NAZERIAN (U.S.D.A., Regional Poultry Research Lab. 3606 East Mr. Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, U.S.A.) A D V A N C E S IN V E T E R I N A R Y IMMUNOLOGY 1 9 8 2
Advances in Veterinary I m m u n o l o g y 1982. Developments in Animal and Veterinary Sciences. 12. F. Kristensen and D.F. Antczak {Editors). Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1983, Vi + 312 pp., US $61.75 (in U.S.A. and Canada), Dfl. 145.00 {rest of world), ISBN 0-444-42191-2.
This book is an indexed, hardcover version of the 1983, Vol. 4 special issue o f Veterinary I m m u n o l o g y and Immunopathology, devoted entirely to review articles on various topics related to t h a t discipline. Subscription to the above journal includes the text of these articles, but not the Index.
310 Advances in Veterinary Immunology 1982 is composed of six widely varied reviews on topics ranging from fundamental immunology to clinical aspects and techniques, which present a balanced coverage that will appeal to a wide readership. The first article is entitled "The Genetic Control of A n t i b o d y F o r m a t i o n " by R.K. Seide and J.M. Kehoe. It deals comprehensively with theoretical considerations and current knowledge derived mainly from experimental studies in the mouse and man. The authors also discuss the regulation of a n t i b o d y formation in other mammalian species drawing parallels to experimental findings and making suggestions for possible similar studies in the domestic animals. They present a challenge to veterinary immunologists to look for new approaches and to extend the perspective of veterinary immunology. The second paper, "Bovine Immunoglobulins: An Augmented Review" by J.E. Butler, is a very thorough, critical treatment of virtually all published information on bovine immunoglobulins. In 110 pages, including about 350 references augmented with previously unpublished data, the author reviews general and biological characteristics of bovine immunoglobulins, and extensively describes the methodology involved in the preparation of immunoglobulin fractions and their antisera, detection, quantitation and s t u d y techniques. The paper is written in a very readable style, including practical interpretations, and numerous illustrations. Of note, is the author's closing c o m m e n t a r y in which he points out an apparent lack of interest in the study of bovine immunoglobulins by granting agencies concerned with h u m a n health or by the agricultural agencies who consider that such studies are too basic. He stresses the need for uniformity and reliability in methodology and the establishment of international centers for standardization. This review is authoritative and of t e x t b o o k quality. A comparatively short, but comprehensive review by S. Lloyd entitled " E f f e c t of Pregnancy and Lactation upon I n f e c t i o n " examines the present state of knowledge on periparturient immunosuppression, and the influence of the latter upon infection. Most of the information on this subject has come from studies in man and laboratory animals and relatively little knowledge is available for domestic animals, although some clinical data originate from observations on helminth infections in sheep and other animals. The topic is well-handled and appropriately summarized, pointing out the need for much more work to identify the mechanisms responsible for periparturient immunosuppression in domestic animals. The f o u r t h paper, "Review of Neutrophil Adherence, Chemotaxis, Phagocytosis and Killing" by G.S. Smith and J.H. Lumsden, is a well-written, detailed review largely concerned with some important aspects of neutrophil functions in man, domestic and laboratory animals as they pertain to host defences against microorganisms. The review includes over 400 references, and four tables of annotated citations on applicable conditions in man. The authors conclude the review with the statement t h a t "While the study of neutrophil functions has received limited attention in veterinary medicine as compared to h u m a n medicine, recent publications indicate an awareness
311 of the need to characterize neutrophil functions in healthy and diseased animals, and it is likely that increased interest in these areas will identify neutrophil function defects relevant to the pathogenesis of disease in domestic species. Identification of neutrophil dysfunctions in domestic animals may in turn lead to altered breeding selection, and hopefully improved treatment regimes." The fifth paper, " T h e I m m u n e Response to Virus Infections" by D.E. Onions, is a comprehensive review of relationships between virus structure and antigenicity, virus host--cell interactions and other aspects of the immune response to virus infections, mainly from the viewpoint of theoretical immunology. The author indicates that there is a need for new insights into the protective immune response in order to counter emerging problems. In this way, the immunologist can help to control diseases that have not been amenable to vaccination and to produce vaccines based on synthetic peptides and recombinant DNA technology. The final article, "Serum's L y m p h o c y t e Immunoregulatory Factors ( S L I F ) " by O. Barta, reviews the role of serum or plasma as potential nonspecific regulators of immune responses, both in vitro as well as in vivo. This review does not solve problems; rather, it identifies those that have been poorly defined which, in turn, may inspire others to conduct further investigations in this field. In conclusion, this volume gives detailed overviews of the chosen topics and provides a large number of up-to-date references which readers will find to be a valuable source of information on these and related topics. A minor criticism of the book is the presence of varying type styles and a few typographical errors which invariably occur in photo offset printing utilizing the author's original manuscript. The book can be recommended as a very useful source of information for those with an interest in immunology and immunopathology. L. NIILO (Agriculture Canada, Animal Diseases Research Institute, Box 640, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada TIJ 3Z4)