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Advances in veterinary science and comparative medicine
198 The test is well produced, easy on the eye and notably free of typing errors. The tables and figures are well presented and clear and the quality of the photographs of polyacrylamide gels and autoradiographs is particularly good. Overall, the publication meets the aims of the editors and can be recommended as a useful acquisition to those with an interest in pathogenic bacteria. ALANP. JOHNSON Department of Sexually Transmitted Diseases M.R.C. Clinical Research Centre Watford Road, Harrow, Middx., Gt. Britain
GERALDINE TAYLOR A.F.R.C. Institute for Animal Disease Research Compton, Berks., RG16 ONN, Gt. Britain
VETERINARY SCIENCE AND COMPARATIVEMEDICINE A d v a n c e s in Veterinary Science and Comparative Medicine. C.E. Cornelis and
C.F. Simpson (Editors), Academic Press, Orlando, San Diego, New York, Austin, London, Montreal, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vol. 29, 339 pp., US$69.50, £60.50, and Vol. 30, 327 pp., US$59.50, £52.00, ISBN 0-12-0392291 and ISBN 0-12-039230-5. What excellent publications the Advances in Veterinary Science and Comparative Medicine from Academic Press have been! The offerings for 1985 ( Volumes 29 and 30 ) maintain the previous high standard with diverse, topical and authoritative contribution. Of interest to readers of this journal, will be the predominance of articles concerned with microbiology, pathology and immunology. The five long and detailed contributions in volume 29 include an account of struvite urolithiasis in several species and four specifically microbiological topics - enteric pathogens (Saul Tzipori), fimbriae (Dwight C. Hirsh), porcine atrophic rhinitis (J.M. Rutter) and the herpes viruses of equine rhinopneumonitis and Aujeszky's disease ( Robert A. Crandell). Two of these topics are, because of their subject matters, mainly veterinary in outlook, while two reflect the interest in comparative medicine promised in the title of the series. Tzipori concentrates on enteric diseases of neonates. In an extensive review, he considers firstly four organisms that make major contributions to the problem - rotaviruses, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Cryptosporidium and Clostridium perfringens - and he then deals with the specific problems in calves, piglets and foals and with further agents that are enteropathogens in these species. The review emphasises the great advances that have been made in the last decades as a result of comparative and collaborative studies on organisms
199 that infect domestic species and man. An apt observation by the author is that the study of several important intestinal coronaviruses in domestic animals (not included in the review) has lagged, possibly because there are no counterparts in human medicine. The author gives valuable descriptions of the agents and the diseases and their pathogenesis. He draws attention to areas where research has been unsuccessful, especially in the production of efficient vaccines and the development of chemotherapy for cryptosporidiosis. Hirsh discusses the role of fimbriae in the ecology of E. coll. The article is a little daunting because the term fimbria is not used until the sixth page and the significance of the first section, that deals extensively with adhesins, may not be realized until then. Indeed, the whole article is much more comprehensive than the title suggests and concerns interactions between various intestinal microorganisms and the host. Emphasis is given to enterotoxigenic strains of E. coll. The review adds greatly to our understanding of these agents, but effective control still seems distant. Porcine atrophic rhinitis is the subject of a review by Rutter. This complex disease has long been a puzzle. The author reviews old controversies, evaluates recent research findings and proposes that this is, indeed, an infectious disease with PasteureUa multocida the most likely culprit. Crandell considers the application of new concepts and new technologies to two herpesviruses, those of equine rhinopneumonitis and Aujeszky's disease. As the author demonstrates, the techniques of molecular biology have already made valuable contributions to the study of the epidemiology of herpesviruses, their latency and the production of vaccines. These techniques will, in the future, profoundly alter our understanding of these viruses. Fortunately the article also reviews some of the older epidemiological and pathological findings that did not depend on endonucleases or molecularly cloned DNA and has an overall balance. There is a detailed consideration of the use of restriction endonuclease patterns in the classification of the equine herpesviruses. Is this reviewer the only reader who regrets the introduction of a system of numerical nomenclature before the accumulation of sufficient information and before the establishment of reference laboratories? Why number a herpesvirus when a name must also be given to make the designation specific? Volume 30 is less microbiological in orientation. It includes chapters on reproductive function in exotic species ( Bill L. Lasley) and on the pathbiology of platelets (Kenneth M. Meyers). A consideration of the neutrophilic leukocytes of domestic animals (T.A. Bertram) includes sections on the function of these cells in inflammation and antimicrobial defence. It is becoming evident that the neutrophils are a heterogeneous group of cells with a diversity of functions. It was disappointing to see no consideration of viral diseases, such as bovine ephemeral fever, in which a neutrophilia is characteristic and apparently contributes to pathogenesis. Benirschke and colleagues from several countries consider pathological conditions in prosimians, especially in lemurs
200
and include a section on infectious diseases. It should be emphasised that the article refers to captive lemurs and not to the problem of feral populations, with the aim of aiding "...their ultimate survival in captive populations". The article is based on autopsy records from several zoos and emphasises a major problem common to all, that ofperinatal mortality. Infectious diseases appeared not to contribute to these early losses. Various bacteria contributed to deaths in unacclimatised animals and there are interesting accounts of toxoplasmosis and cryptococcosis in some animals. Recurring vulval lesions were attributed to viruses which have yet to be isolated. Glick contributes a major review of the avian immune system and makes special note of the microenvironments that produce specialised cells. Modern immunology was founded on experiments in chickens, but the mammalian immune system is now understood in much greater detail. This is a very useful review of our current understanding of the avian immune system. The volume also includes a fascinating account of the atherosclerotic lesions in chickens that follow infection with Marek's disease herpesvirus ( Catherine G. Fabricant). The disease is presented, not as an economic problem in commercial chickens, but as an experimental lesion of great potential in comparative medicine. The lesion is produced regularly in specific-pathogen-free chickens with normal cholesterol levels and vaccination against the virus protects against development of the lesion. A brief account is included of the developing evidence for associations between human herpesviruses and human atherosclerosis. Bachrach contributes a short account of the types of vaccines that may be used in the future to control infectious diseases and cancers in man. He considers the many approaches that are being studied - subunit vaccines produced in various hosts from recombined DNA, synthetic polypeptides, recombinant vaccines based on carriers such as vaccinia virus, genetically engineered mutant organisms and vaccines composed of anti-idiotype antibodies. The review contains realistic cautions regarding the need for vaccines to be cost effective, the need for appropriate adjuvants and the need for demonstrations of safety, especially for vaccines based on vaccinia virus. One point seems to be ignored in contemporary considerations of vaccinia-based vaccines. Even if the dissemination of this virus is again sanctioned, could its production on the skins of calves or sheep ever be sanctioned again? Do the recombinant viruses grow well in cultures of human diploid cells? We are indebted for these useful volumes to the editors, their advisory board and to the unknown hands that provided the excellent indices. P.B. SPRADBROW
Veterinary Virus Laboratory, University of Queensland P.O. Box 125, Kenmore 4069 Brisbane, Australia
GERALDINE TAYLOR A.F.R.C. Institute for Animal Disease Research Compton, Berks., RG16 ONN, Gt. Britain
VETERINARY SCIENCE AND COMPARATIVEMEDICINE A d v a n c e s in Veterinary Science and Comparative Medicine. C.E. Cornelis and
C.F. Simpson (Editors), Academic Press, Orlando, San Diego, New York, Austin, London, Montreal, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vol. 29, 339 pp., US$69.50, £60.50, and Vol. 30, 327 pp., US$59.50, £52.00, ISBN 0-12-0392291 and ISBN 0-12-039230-5. What excellent publications the Advances in Veterinary Science and Comparative Medicine from Academic Press have been! The offerings for 1985 ( Volumes 29 and 30 ) maintain the previous high standard with diverse, topical and authoritative contribution. Of interest to readers of this journal, will be the predominance of articles concerned with microbiology, pathology and immunology. The five long and detailed contributions in volume 29 include an account of struvite urolithiasis in several species and four specifically microbiological topics - enteric pathogens (Saul Tzipori), fimbriae (Dwight C. Hirsh), porcine atrophic rhinitis (J.M. Rutter) and the herpes viruses of equine rhinopneumonitis and Aujeszky's disease ( Robert A. Crandell). Two of these topics are, because of their subject matters, mainly veterinary in outlook, while two reflect the interest in comparative medicine promised in the title of the series. Tzipori concentrates on enteric diseases of neonates. In an extensive review, he considers firstly four organisms that make major contributions to the problem - rotaviruses, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Cryptosporidium and Clostridium perfringens - and he then deals with the specific problems in calves, piglets and foals and with further agents that are enteropathogens in these species. The review emphasises the great advances that have been made in the last decades as a result of comparative and collaborative studies on organisms
199 that infect domestic species and man. An apt observation by the author is that the study of several important intestinal coronaviruses in domestic animals (not included in the review) has lagged, possibly because there are no counterparts in human medicine. The author gives valuable descriptions of the agents and the diseases and their pathogenesis. He draws attention to areas where research has been unsuccessful, especially in the production of efficient vaccines and the development of chemotherapy for cryptosporidiosis. Hirsh discusses the role of fimbriae in the ecology of E. coll. The article is a little daunting because the term fimbria is not used until the sixth page and the significance of the first section, that deals extensively with adhesins, may not be realized until then. Indeed, the whole article is much more comprehensive than the title suggests and concerns interactions between various intestinal microorganisms and the host. Emphasis is given to enterotoxigenic strains of E. coll. The review adds greatly to our understanding of these agents, but effective control still seems distant. Porcine atrophic rhinitis is the subject of a review by Rutter. This complex disease has long been a puzzle. The author reviews old controversies, evaluates recent research findings and proposes that this is, indeed, an infectious disease with PasteureUa multocida the most likely culprit. Crandell considers the application of new concepts and new technologies to two herpesviruses, those of equine rhinopneumonitis and Aujeszky's disease. As the author demonstrates, the techniques of molecular biology have already made valuable contributions to the study of the epidemiology of herpesviruses, their latency and the production of vaccines. These techniques will, in the future, profoundly alter our understanding of these viruses. Fortunately the article also reviews some of the older epidemiological and pathological findings that did not depend on endonucleases or molecularly cloned DNA and has an overall balance. There is a detailed consideration of the use of restriction endonuclease patterns in the classification of the equine herpesviruses. Is this reviewer the only reader who regrets the introduction of a system of numerical nomenclature before the accumulation of sufficient information and before the establishment of reference laboratories? Why number a herpesvirus when a name must also be given to make the designation specific? Volume 30 is less microbiological in orientation. It includes chapters on reproductive function in exotic species ( Bill L. Lasley) and on the pathbiology of platelets (Kenneth M. Meyers). A consideration of the neutrophilic leukocytes of domestic animals (T.A. Bertram) includes sections on the function of these cells in inflammation and antimicrobial defence. It is becoming evident that the neutrophils are a heterogeneous group of cells with a diversity of functions. It was disappointing to see no consideration of viral diseases, such as bovine ephemeral fever, in which a neutrophilia is characteristic and apparently contributes to pathogenesis. Benirschke and colleagues from several countries consider pathological conditions in prosimians, especially in lemurs
200
and include a section on infectious diseases. It should be emphasised that the article refers to captive lemurs and not to the problem of feral populations, with the aim of aiding "...their ultimate survival in captive populations". The article is based on autopsy records from several zoos and emphasises a major problem common to all, that ofperinatal mortality. Infectious diseases appeared not to contribute to these early losses. Various bacteria contributed to deaths in unacclimatised animals and there are interesting accounts of toxoplasmosis and cryptococcosis in some animals. Recurring vulval lesions were attributed to viruses which have yet to be isolated. Glick contributes a major review of the avian immune system and makes special note of the microenvironments that produce specialised cells. Modern immunology was founded on experiments in chickens, but the mammalian immune system is now understood in much greater detail. This is a very useful review of our current understanding of the avian immune system. The volume also includes a fascinating account of the atherosclerotic lesions in chickens that follow infection with Marek's disease herpesvirus ( Catherine G. Fabricant). The disease is presented, not as an economic problem in commercial chickens, but as an experimental lesion of great potential in comparative medicine. The lesion is produced regularly in specific-pathogen-free chickens with normal cholesterol levels and vaccination against the virus protects against development of the lesion. A brief account is included of the developing evidence for associations between human herpesviruses and human atherosclerosis. Bachrach contributes a short account of the types of vaccines that may be used in the future to control infectious diseases and cancers in man. He considers the many approaches that are being studied - subunit vaccines produced in various hosts from recombined DNA, synthetic polypeptides, recombinant vaccines based on carriers such as vaccinia virus, genetically engineered mutant organisms and vaccines composed of anti-idiotype antibodies. The review contains realistic cautions regarding the need for vaccines to be cost effective, the need for appropriate adjuvants and the need for demonstrations of safety, especially for vaccines based on vaccinia virus. One point seems to be ignored in contemporary considerations of vaccinia-based vaccines. Even if the dissemination of this virus is again sanctioned, could its production on the skins of calves or sheep ever be sanctioned again? Do the recombinant viruses grow well in cultures of human diploid cells? We are indebted for these useful volumes to the editors, their advisory board and to the unknown hands that provided the excellent indices. P.B. SPRADBROW
Veterinary Virus Laboratory, University of Queensland P.O. Box 125, Kenmore 4069 Brisbane, Australia