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Giardiasis
574 TRANSACTIONS OFTHEROYALSOCIETY OFTROPICAL MEDICINE
I
AND HYGIENE
I
1Book Reviews 1 Giardiasis. E. A. Meyer (editor). (Human Parasitic Diseases.vol. 3). Amsterdam. etc.: Elsevier. 1990. 650 vv. PriceUS$ 156.50, Dfl305: ISBN 0-444-81258-X. Aa In this volume of 21 chapters Professor Alan Meyer, a major contributor to our understanding of the biology of Giardia, has assembled accounts of most of the work done on the clinical, biochemical, immunological and pathological aspects of infection with the flagellate protozoan parasite, Giardia duodenalis, over the past 2 decades or so. In addition there is a contribution from Bangladesh that tries to set the parasite in its true tropical context, where it is likely to do most harm to most people, particularly children. Nor are the public health aspects of this infection in the temperate parts of the world neglected, for G. F. Craun provides a valuable review of the water-borne outbreaks of giardiasis that have occurred principally in the USA, though he does discuss the outbreak in Bristol in the UK. He gives careful consideration to the sources of organisms causing these infections. W. Jakubowski discussesthe control of Giardia in water supplies, stressing the importance of both filtration and chlorination as essential to minimizing its potential transmission through municipal water supplies. Professor Meyer, with early Russian workers, devised the in vitro culture techniques that have allowed so much of the work described in this volume to be done. In particular this has allowed the definition of the conditions for excystation and encystation of trophozoites in vitro. Separate chapters describe these 2 processes. There is extensive review of the immune processesthat follow infection with Giardia. While the volunteer studies carried out in North America are discussed,most of this work is the result of experimentation in animal hosts. In the various chapters which have an immunological content, there is inevitably a certain amount of repetition, though to be fair each chapter considers the topic from a somewhat different aspect. Among the chapters in this group that by A. Ferguson and colleagues is a particularly well balanced review of the role of immune responsesto the parasite in the pathogenesis of the mucosal lesion. This book, the third in a serieson human parasitic diseases(serieseditors E. J. Ruitenberg and A. J. McInnis), describes the tremendous advancesthat have occurred in our understanding of G. duodenalis over the past 2 decadesor so and we must all be grateful to Professor Alan Meyer for his personal contribution to the work and for editing this volume. S. G. Wright
[This book is obtainablefrom the publishersat P.O. Box 1992, 1000 BZ Amsterdam,The Netherlandsor (in North America)P.O. Box 882, Madison SquareStation,New York, NY 10159,USA.]
(1992)
86, BOOK REVIEWS
articles and book reviews, and a section (most important) on preparing grant applications. I particularly like summary item no. 5 under book reviews: ‘Read the book...‘. Oscar Wilde is reported to have said that he first wrote the review and then, if it was good, read the book. The text is enlivened by cartoons by-Jenny Gretton. There are 2 appendices. One deals with the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals, developed by the so-called Vancouver group in 1978 and since modified (which. I confess. the Transactions has not adopted), and the other is an invaluable list of ‘terms to avoid’, including many of my own bites noires such as ‘a majority of (for ‘most’), ‘prior to’ (for ‘before’), ‘parameter’ (for almost anything else), and many more. There is a good list of references(in the Vancouver style) and a goodmdex. This book should be on everv scientific author’s bookshelf-or, preferably, in his or her hand. If all such writers did what it says, the task of editors would be immeasurably simplified.. But, even more importantly, papers would be published more quickly and readers would be able to understand them more easily. John Baker Environmental Health Criteria, No. 120-Hexachlorocyclopentadiene. Geneva: Weorld Health Organiza-
tion. 1991. 126 vv. Price Sw.fr. 15.OO/US$13.50(in developing countries Sw.fr. 10.50). ISBN 92-4-156‘120-9. Hexachlorocyclopentadiene (HEX) is used in the production of a range of organochlorine insecticides, principally the cyclodienes. It is also an intermediate in the manufacture of flame retardants, resins and dves. It is estimated that around 15 000 tonnes of HEX were produced in 1988. around one-third oriainatine in the USA. This ‘book considers the pYhysical”propertiesand environmental effects of HEX, and would be useful to those involved in manufacturing processesinvolving, or likely to involve, HEX. The information in the book would also clearly be useful to those interested in environmental health of populations living in close proximity to chemical plants. HEX is readily broken down in many environments, but readily adsorbs on to most types of soil particles and may persist in this medium. The total annual estimated releaseof HEX in the USA in 1988was 5.9 tonnes, onlv a small fraction of which is expected to persist. In aquatic media HEX has a half life of less than 1 h. Data on the acute toxicity of HEX to a range of organisms are given and discussed. Only a limited amount of data on human exposure is available. Accidental exposure has caused transient irritation of eyes, nose and throat, but no long term effects of acute or long term low level exposure are known. The US National Toxicology Program has still to report on the possible carcinogenicity of HEX. J. Hemingway
Successfully in Science. M. O’Connor. London: Harper Collins Academic, 1991. xi+229 pp. Price c8.95 (paperback). ISBN o-04-445805-3 (hardback), O04-445806 (paperback). [Distributed by Chapman & Hall, North Way, Andover, Hampshire, SPlO 5BE, UK.] This book should be compulsory reading for all budding (and someestablished) researchworkers. For a very modest price, it concisely and wittily sets out how to write clear, comvrehensible English, so that the results of research can be communicated easily and (relatively) rapidly to the desired audience. Most of the book covers the preparation of scientific papers, from planning to proof reading, but there are also chapters on short talks and posters, theses, review Writing
Pneumocystis carinii. J. M. Hopkin. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. 140~~. Price c25.00. ISBN 019261654-4 This timely short monograph is well presented and provides an excellent summary of recent data on the important aspectsof Pneumocystis carinii, the most important opportunist infection in AIDS. The book is written in a clear style and was enjoyable to read. There are numerous illustrations, tables and graphs together with chest radiographs and colour photomicrographs, all of which are reproduced to a very high quality. The first chapter describes the epidemiology of pneumocystis pneumonia and begins with a brief survey of
I
AND HYGIENE
I
1Book Reviews 1 Giardiasis. E. A. Meyer (editor). (Human Parasitic Diseases.vol. 3). Amsterdam. etc.: Elsevier. 1990. 650 vv. PriceUS$ 156.50, Dfl305: ISBN 0-444-81258-X. Aa In this volume of 21 chapters Professor Alan Meyer, a major contributor to our understanding of the biology of Giardia, has assembled accounts of most of the work done on the clinical, biochemical, immunological and pathological aspects of infection with the flagellate protozoan parasite, Giardia duodenalis, over the past 2 decades or so. In addition there is a contribution from Bangladesh that tries to set the parasite in its true tropical context, where it is likely to do most harm to most people, particularly children. Nor are the public health aspects of this infection in the temperate parts of the world neglected, for G. F. Craun provides a valuable review of the water-borne outbreaks of giardiasis that have occurred principally in the USA, though he does discuss the outbreak in Bristol in the UK. He gives careful consideration to the sources of organisms causing these infections. W. Jakubowski discussesthe control of Giardia in water supplies, stressing the importance of both filtration and chlorination as essential to minimizing its potential transmission through municipal water supplies. Professor Meyer, with early Russian workers, devised the in vitro culture techniques that have allowed so much of the work described in this volume to be done. In particular this has allowed the definition of the conditions for excystation and encystation of trophozoites in vitro. Separate chapters describe these 2 processes. There is extensive review of the immune processesthat follow infection with Giardia. While the volunteer studies carried out in North America are discussed,most of this work is the result of experimentation in animal hosts. In the various chapters which have an immunological content, there is inevitably a certain amount of repetition, though to be fair each chapter considers the topic from a somewhat different aspect. Among the chapters in this group that by A. Ferguson and colleagues is a particularly well balanced review of the role of immune responsesto the parasite in the pathogenesis of the mucosal lesion. This book, the third in a serieson human parasitic diseases(serieseditors E. J. Ruitenberg and A. J. McInnis), describes the tremendous advancesthat have occurred in our understanding of G. duodenalis over the past 2 decadesor so and we must all be grateful to Professor Alan Meyer for his personal contribution to the work and for editing this volume. S. G. Wright
[This book is obtainablefrom the publishersat P.O. Box 1992, 1000 BZ Amsterdam,The Netherlandsor (in North America)P.O. Box 882, Madison SquareStation,New York, NY 10159,USA.]
(1992)
86, BOOK REVIEWS
articles and book reviews, and a section (most important) on preparing grant applications. I particularly like summary item no. 5 under book reviews: ‘Read the book...‘. Oscar Wilde is reported to have said that he first wrote the review and then, if it was good, read the book. The text is enlivened by cartoons by-Jenny Gretton. There are 2 appendices. One deals with the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals, developed by the so-called Vancouver group in 1978 and since modified (which. I confess. the Transactions has not adopted), and the other is an invaluable list of ‘terms to avoid’, including many of my own bites noires such as ‘a majority of (for ‘most’), ‘prior to’ (for ‘before’), ‘parameter’ (for almost anything else), and many more. There is a good list of references(in the Vancouver style) and a goodmdex. This book should be on everv scientific author’s bookshelf-or, preferably, in his or her hand. If all such writers did what it says, the task of editors would be immeasurably simplified.. But, even more importantly, papers would be published more quickly and readers would be able to understand them more easily. John Baker Environmental Health Criteria, No. 120-Hexachlorocyclopentadiene. Geneva: Weorld Health Organiza-
tion. 1991. 126 vv. Price Sw.fr. 15.OO/US$13.50(in developing countries Sw.fr. 10.50). ISBN 92-4-156‘120-9. Hexachlorocyclopentadiene (HEX) is used in the production of a range of organochlorine insecticides, principally the cyclodienes. It is also an intermediate in the manufacture of flame retardants, resins and dves. It is estimated that around 15 000 tonnes of HEX were produced in 1988. around one-third oriainatine in the USA. This ‘book considers the pYhysical”propertiesand environmental effects of HEX, and would be useful to those involved in manufacturing processesinvolving, or likely to involve, HEX. The information in the book would also clearly be useful to those interested in environmental health of populations living in close proximity to chemical plants. HEX is readily broken down in many environments, but readily adsorbs on to most types of soil particles and may persist in this medium. The total annual estimated releaseof HEX in the USA in 1988was 5.9 tonnes, onlv a small fraction of which is expected to persist. In aquatic media HEX has a half life of less than 1 h. Data on the acute toxicity of HEX to a range of organisms are given and discussed. Only a limited amount of data on human exposure is available. Accidental exposure has caused transient irritation of eyes, nose and throat, but no long term effects of acute or long term low level exposure are known. The US National Toxicology Program has still to report on the possible carcinogenicity of HEX. J. Hemingway
Successfully in Science. M. O’Connor. London: Harper Collins Academic, 1991. xi+229 pp. Price c8.95 (paperback). ISBN o-04-445805-3 (hardback), O04-445806 (paperback). [Distributed by Chapman & Hall, North Way, Andover, Hampshire, SPlO 5BE, UK.] This book should be compulsory reading for all budding (and someestablished) researchworkers. For a very modest price, it concisely and wittily sets out how to write clear, comvrehensible English, so that the results of research can be communicated easily and (relatively) rapidly to the desired audience. Most of the book covers the preparation of scientific papers, from planning to proof reading, but there are also chapters on short talks and posters, theses, review Writing
Pneumocystis carinii. J. M. Hopkin. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. 140~~. Price c25.00. ISBN 019261654-4 This timely short monograph is well presented and provides an excellent summary of recent data on the important aspectsof Pneumocystis carinii, the most important opportunist infection in AIDS. The book is written in a clear style and was enjoyable to read. There are numerous illustrations, tables and graphs together with chest radiographs and colour photomicrographs, all of which are reproduced to a very high quality. The first chapter describes the epidemiology of pneumocystis pneumonia and begins with a brief survey of