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Grange JM. Mycobacteria and Human Disease. Second edition.
206
Book Reviews
Grange JM. Mycobacteria and Human Disease. Second edition. Arnold ISBN: 0-340-645-636. Price: £49.50. By now everybody knows that tuberculosis is back in the news and has been declared a 'global emergency' by the World Health Organisation. There are articles in the press and programmes on television. In parallel, there has been a rush of medical books on tuberculosis of all sizes and shapes, ranging from basic science reviews to clinical handbooks. This slim volume of 224 pages is distinguished by the fact that it is a second edition of a book which first appeared in 1988. This book aims to provide an introduction to mycobacterial diseases and bridge the gap that often does, but should not, exist between science and medical practitioners. It is a very enjoyable read and contains a wealth of fascinating information. For example, the section on immunology brings together current theories and information under interesting headings which reflect a careful formulation of the author's views on the different ways the immune system contains the pathogen. Some of the data is selective, but not unduly so, and to some extent selection is inevitable when it comes to compressing a huge literature. Put forward as a book on general mycobacterial disease, this volume is focused on tuberculosis and leprosy and tends to overlook the wealth of scientific information on M. avium intracellulare complex which has been of great clinical interest in the HIV era. The overall structure of this edition, like the first, is somewhat idiosyncratic, starting with taxonomy, moving into diagnostics and then on to immunology and epidemiology before tackling clinical disease and its treatment. An immediate consequence is that information is often scattered throughout the book. I looked up BCG and was directed to seven areas between pages 87-200. Drug resistance mutations of M. tuberculosis are discussed on page 30 and treatment on page 204 with additional vignettes in the clinical chapter. There are many similar examples. The clinician will find this book excellent if he or she is in search of information on epidemiology or pathogenesis of disease, and there are good overviews on the clinical manifestations of tuberculosis and leprosy. However, the section on treatment is less complete and does not stand alone for the practising physician. Important issues such as when to use four drugs, tuberculosis in pregnancy and the role of surgery in tuberculosis could be given greater focus. The treatment section on atypical mycobacteria is not adequate. In summary, this is a book for the mycobacteriologist and I am delighted to have a copy on my shelves. Most infectious diseases or respiratory physicians will want to thumb through and refer to the library copy. Medical libraries should order this book so that students and doctors can get acquainted with this major group of pathogens. However, it should not stand alone on the library shelves but be put alongside those weightier books used by the practising physician. 1. Friedland
London, U.K. Costello JF, Saunders DE, Philpott-Howard J. An Atlas of Lung Infections. The Encyclopedia of Visual Medicine Series. Camforth: The Parthenon Publishing Group. 1996 ISBN: 1-85070-4562. Price: £45.00. Anyone who has tried to assemble a collection of slides for publication or teaching will be impressed by the effort the authors must have put in to accumulate the 141 illustrations
which make up the body of this atlas. The authors state that their aim is to "provide trainee physicians with a readily accessible guide to the diagnosis and presentation of infections of the lower respiratory tract", and they succeed admirably. It is a little confusing that the first 32 pages of pure text are separated so far from their illustrations - it would be better to mix the two, as is done in the Wolfe atlases, to make 'browsing' more fun. I was disappointed to see there was only one picture of a patient (and this confined to the fingers); surely some other physical signs are photogenic? I would also have liked to see some macroscopic morbid anatomy - some pictures of grey and red hepatization, tuberculous cavities, fibrinous pleurisy, etc., would make for a far clearer understanding of pathology than do pictures of micrographs, ELISA plates (there are four of these) and empty blood culture bottles (there are two of these). As a result, the pictures are a 50:50 mix of B&W radiographs and colour 'laboratory' pictures, and it has a rather non-clinical feel. Some chest radiographs are reproduced too 'softly', and diffuse infiltrates like miliary TB are not visible. Some illustrations are, inevitably, absent: I missed paragonimiasis, ARDS in malaria, and primary tuberculosis - all very common conditions globally. I was surprised to see pictures of a mouse brain with toxoplasma and a bone marrow with cryptococcus: both vanishingly rare causes of chest infections. The anatomy of lobar pneumonias is well worth including in the next edition, with an example of consolidation of each lobe. I should also like to see more high-resolution CT scans next time. It is the first edition, and there is not, to my knowledge, another atlas like it; so these criticisms are minor compared to their achievement. At £45 in hardback, A4-sized format it is good value; a cheaper paperback edition would be very popular.
R. Davidson
London, U.K. Remington Jack S, Sworn MN, eds. Current Clinical Topics in Infectious Diseases, 16th edition. Boston: Blackwell Scientific, 1996. ISBN 086542-4772. Price: £61.50. The prestigious editors set themselves laudable goals for this 16th annual edition: contributions were to be timely, concise summaries with critical commentary on areas requiring reevaluation in infectious disease/microbiology. These goals have undoubtedly been achieved. However, since only four of the 29 contributors work outside the U.S.A., the emphasis is inevitably on North American practice. In 14 chapters covering a wide range of controversial topics, we are brought up to date with developments in epidemiology, pathogenesis, molecular biology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention by authors who are all recognized authorities in their field. There is a good balance between discussion of clinical syndromes such as non-menstrual toxic shock, community and hospital-acquired pneumonia and acute bacterial meningitis in adults, and the more organism-specific reviews such as invasive aspergillosis, tuberculosis, vibrio cholerae 0139 and erlichiosis. There are also excellent reviews on HIV2 and cysticercosis. Two chapters deal with antimicrobial resistance in enterococci, Acinetobacter baumanii, Xanthomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas cepacia, and a third with noval plasmid-mediated g lactamases in Enterobacteriaceae. All the reviews are up to date, most including references to papers published in 1995 and varying in detail, with most citing between 40 and 110 references, though one particularly
Book Reviews
Grange JM. Mycobacteria and Human Disease. Second edition. Arnold ISBN: 0-340-645-636. Price: £49.50. By now everybody knows that tuberculosis is back in the news and has been declared a 'global emergency' by the World Health Organisation. There are articles in the press and programmes on television. In parallel, there has been a rush of medical books on tuberculosis of all sizes and shapes, ranging from basic science reviews to clinical handbooks. This slim volume of 224 pages is distinguished by the fact that it is a second edition of a book which first appeared in 1988. This book aims to provide an introduction to mycobacterial diseases and bridge the gap that often does, but should not, exist between science and medical practitioners. It is a very enjoyable read and contains a wealth of fascinating information. For example, the section on immunology brings together current theories and information under interesting headings which reflect a careful formulation of the author's views on the different ways the immune system contains the pathogen. Some of the data is selective, but not unduly so, and to some extent selection is inevitable when it comes to compressing a huge literature. Put forward as a book on general mycobacterial disease, this volume is focused on tuberculosis and leprosy and tends to overlook the wealth of scientific information on M. avium intracellulare complex which has been of great clinical interest in the HIV era. The overall structure of this edition, like the first, is somewhat idiosyncratic, starting with taxonomy, moving into diagnostics and then on to immunology and epidemiology before tackling clinical disease and its treatment. An immediate consequence is that information is often scattered throughout the book. I looked up BCG and was directed to seven areas between pages 87-200. Drug resistance mutations of M. tuberculosis are discussed on page 30 and treatment on page 204 with additional vignettes in the clinical chapter. There are many similar examples. The clinician will find this book excellent if he or she is in search of information on epidemiology or pathogenesis of disease, and there are good overviews on the clinical manifestations of tuberculosis and leprosy. However, the section on treatment is less complete and does not stand alone for the practising physician. Important issues such as when to use four drugs, tuberculosis in pregnancy and the role of surgery in tuberculosis could be given greater focus. The treatment section on atypical mycobacteria is not adequate. In summary, this is a book for the mycobacteriologist and I am delighted to have a copy on my shelves. Most infectious diseases or respiratory physicians will want to thumb through and refer to the library copy. Medical libraries should order this book so that students and doctors can get acquainted with this major group of pathogens. However, it should not stand alone on the library shelves but be put alongside those weightier books used by the practising physician. 1. Friedland
London, U.K. Costello JF, Saunders DE, Philpott-Howard J. An Atlas of Lung Infections. The Encyclopedia of Visual Medicine Series. Camforth: The Parthenon Publishing Group. 1996 ISBN: 1-85070-4562. Price: £45.00. Anyone who has tried to assemble a collection of slides for publication or teaching will be impressed by the effort the authors must have put in to accumulate the 141 illustrations
which make up the body of this atlas. The authors state that their aim is to "provide trainee physicians with a readily accessible guide to the diagnosis and presentation of infections of the lower respiratory tract", and they succeed admirably. It is a little confusing that the first 32 pages of pure text are separated so far from their illustrations - it would be better to mix the two, as is done in the Wolfe atlases, to make 'browsing' more fun. I was disappointed to see there was only one picture of a patient (and this confined to the fingers); surely some other physical signs are photogenic? I would also have liked to see some macroscopic morbid anatomy - some pictures of grey and red hepatization, tuberculous cavities, fibrinous pleurisy, etc., would make for a far clearer understanding of pathology than do pictures of micrographs, ELISA plates (there are four of these) and empty blood culture bottles (there are two of these). As a result, the pictures are a 50:50 mix of B&W radiographs and colour 'laboratory' pictures, and it has a rather non-clinical feel. Some chest radiographs are reproduced too 'softly', and diffuse infiltrates like miliary TB are not visible. Some illustrations are, inevitably, absent: I missed paragonimiasis, ARDS in malaria, and primary tuberculosis - all very common conditions globally. I was surprised to see pictures of a mouse brain with toxoplasma and a bone marrow with cryptococcus: both vanishingly rare causes of chest infections. The anatomy of lobar pneumonias is well worth including in the next edition, with an example of consolidation of each lobe. I should also like to see more high-resolution CT scans next time. It is the first edition, and there is not, to my knowledge, another atlas like it; so these criticisms are minor compared to their achievement. At £45 in hardback, A4-sized format it is good value; a cheaper paperback edition would be very popular.
R. Davidson
London, U.K. Remington Jack S, Sworn MN, eds. Current Clinical Topics in Infectious Diseases, 16th edition. Boston: Blackwell Scientific, 1996. ISBN 086542-4772. Price: £61.50. The prestigious editors set themselves laudable goals for this 16th annual edition: contributions were to be timely, concise summaries with critical commentary on areas requiring reevaluation in infectious disease/microbiology. These goals have undoubtedly been achieved. However, since only four of the 29 contributors work outside the U.S.A., the emphasis is inevitably on North American practice. In 14 chapters covering a wide range of controversial topics, we are brought up to date with developments in epidemiology, pathogenesis, molecular biology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention by authors who are all recognized authorities in their field. There is a good balance between discussion of clinical syndromes such as non-menstrual toxic shock, community and hospital-acquired pneumonia and acute bacterial meningitis in adults, and the more organism-specific reviews such as invasive aspergillosis, tuberculosis, vibrio cholerae 0139 and erlichiosis. There are also excellent reviews on HIV2 and cysticercosis. Two chapters deal with antimicrobial resistance in enterococci, Acinetobacter baumanii, Xanthomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas cepacia, and a third with noval plasmid-mediated g lactamases in Enterobacteriaceae. All the reviews are up to date, most including references to papers published in 1995 and varying in detail, with most citing between 40 and 110 references, though one particularly