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Practical Laboratory Mycology
Book Reviews Practical Laboratory Mycology, 3rd ed, by Elmer W. Koneman and Glenn D. Roberts, 211 pp, with illus, $22.50, Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1985 This practical and useful book was successfully written forthelaboratorianwith limited knowledge of mycology. The contents of the book are arranged logically from the clinical concepts of fungal disease through the suc cessive phases of processing of specimens and isolating and identifying the etiologic agents. The first chapter concisely outlines the clinical consid erations in fungal diseases and the necessary interactions among the physician, the surgical pathology laboratory, and the clinical microbiology laboratory. This intro ductory chapter clarifies the role of the clinical microbiologist in diagnosing fungal diseases and emphasizes the need for communication between the physician and the laboratory personnel. The important, but often ignored, process of selecting clinical specimens for fungal culture is well reviewed in chapter 2. Precise instructions for collecting specimens from various anatomic sites are given in the text, and useful information for selecting appropriate specimens for recovery of the common pathogenic fungi is pre sented in uncomplicated tables. In logical sequence, the direct microscopic examina tion of clinical specimens is addressed in chapter 3. The standard techniques for processing specimens, selecting appropriate media, and culturing fungi are clearly de scribed, and excellent illustrations depict the morpho logic characteristics of fungi in specimens. In addition, the various media used for isolating fungi, their character istics, and their appropriate applications are outlined in succinct tables. Highlighted summaries of test proce dures and diagnostic features of the fungi are especially useful aspects of this chapter and the overall book. This chapter should appeal to clinical microbiologists who have little expertise in medical mycology. The final three chapters are devoted to identifying molds, yeast, and yeast-like organisms. In chapter 5, basic methods for demonstrating morphologic character istics and an excellent description of the basic structures of fungi are provided—helpful information for those with minimal knowledge of fungi. The use of charts, tables, and illustrations makes this a valuable chapter for the laboratorian. Chapter 6, "Laboratory Identification of Molds," is a step-by-step approach for identifying molds, based on a Mayo Clin Proc 61:158, 1986
practical taxonomic scheme that includes hyphal mor phologic features, pigment, and characteristic fruiting structures. The text is simple and devoid of complicated taxonomic jargon. Ample use of tables, summarized features, photomicrographs, and color plates of mold colonies makes this an excellent guide for the identifica tion of fungal isolates. A many-page separation of text from related illustrations, however, is a major distraction. This simplified, well-illustrated format for identification is also used in chapter 7, "Identification of Yeasts and Yeast-Like Organisms." The authors have included pertinent references and a suggested reading list as well as a glossary of useful mycologie terms and an excellent section on media, stains, and reagents. This well-written book presents a wealth of practical information and instructions on how to perform highquality clinical mycologie procedures in any laboratory. It should be most useful to those clinical microbiologists without formal training, or with limited experience, in mycology. This book should be in every clinical micro biology laboratory. Norman L. Goodman, Ph.D. University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky
Surgical Urology, 5th ed, by David A. Culp, Bernard Fallon, and Stefan A. H. Loening, 645 pp, with illus, $69.95, Chicago, Year Book Medical Publishers, 1985 This well-established textbook of surgical technique was originally published in 1954. Thirty years and four edi tions later, this work has been expanded many times to include all that is new in surgical urology. The volume contains an up-to-date description of most common as well as rare techniques in urology for both adult and pediatrie patients, including such innovations as geni tourinary prosthetics and endourology. The book has 13 chapters and an appropriate index. No references are included either in the text or at the end of the chapters. Each chapter begins with a useful de scription of the anatomy and, when appropriate, the physiologic features of the particular topic discussed. The drawings are uniform and extremely easy to understand. 158
practical taxonomic scheme that includes hyphal mor phologic features, pigment, and characteristic fruiting structures. The text is simple and devoid of complicated taxonomic jargon. Ample use of tables, summarized features, photomicrographs, and color plates of mold colonies makes this an excellent guide for the identifica tion of fungal isolates. A many-page separation of text from related illustrations, however, is a major distraction. This simplified, well-illustrated format for identification is also used in chapter 7, "Identification of Yeasts and Yeast-Like Organisms." The authors have included pertinent references and a suggested reading list as well as a glossary of useful mycologie terms and an excellent section on media, stains, and reagents. This well-written book presents a wealth of practical information and instructions on how to perform highquality clinical mycologie procedures in any laboratory. It should be most useful to those clinical microbiologists without formal training, or with limited experience, in mycology. This book should be in every clinical micro biology laboratory. Norman L. Goodman, Ph.D. University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky
Surgical Urology, 5th ed, by David A. Culp, Bernard Fallon, and Stefan A. H. Loening, 645 pp, with illus, $69.95, Chicago, Year Book Medical Publishers, 1985 This well-established textbook of surgical technique was originally published in 1954. Thirty years and four edi tions later, this work has been expanded many times to include all that is new in surgical urology. The volume contains an up-to-date description of most common as well as rare techniques in urology for both adult and pediatrie patients, including such innovations as geni tourinary prosthetics and endourology. The book has 13 chapters and an appropriate index. No references are included either in the text or at the end of the chapters. Each chapter begins with a useful de scription of the anatomy and, when appropriate, the physiologic features of the particular topic discussed. The drawings are uniform and extremely easy to understand. 158