- Email: [email protected]
Veterinary parasitology
320
Parasitology Today, voL 3, no. I0, 1987
4 Rioux,J.A.et al. (I 964)Arch. Inst. PasteurTunis 41,385-396 , 5 Rioux,J.A.et al. (1967)Arch.Inst.PasteurTunis 44, 429~142 6 Gabinaud, A. (1975) Ecologie de Deux Aedes Halophiles du Littoral M~diterran~en Fran~ais Thesis, Centre Universitaire de Perpignan
Filariasis Ciba Foundation Symposium 12 7.
John Wiley & Sons, 1987. £28.95 (ix + 305 pages) ISBN 0 471 91093 7 Can you judge a book by its cover? This one says 'Filariasis' once, and 'Ciba Foundation' 17 times. Perhaps it is celebrating the fortieth birthday of the foundation, established as an international scientific charity in 1947 by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Ciba. The foundation organizes about eight symposia each year, and should c.ertainly be proud of this one. Held in Singapore last year, the Filariasis symposium attracted most of the leading figures in the field and has resulted in an excellent guide to the present thrust of research in this type of disease. Filariasis, as the book opens, is a broad topic, encompassing eight species of insect-borne filarial nematodes which are responsible for widespread morbidity in man. Together, lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis affect an estimated 130 million people living in the tropics. Sadly, the prevalence of lymphatic filariasis is increasing, primarily as a consequence of the spread of its major urban vector, the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. Attempts to control filariasis through the use of chemotherapy and vector control have had their successes, but there is still no safe drug for treatment against infective larvae and adult filariae. The use of insecticides in many control programmes is only a partial answer and there is always the hovering threat of insecticide resistance. The future of fllafiasis control therefore demands a new approach. The Symposium proceedings begin by briefly reviewing the epidemiology of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis before describing the complicated spectrum of disease. The genetics, biochemistry and morphology of filarial life stages are discussed in relation to species and strain identification and the
7 Cousserans,J. et al. (1969) Vie et Milieu, S6r. C20, 1-20 8 Pautou,G. et aL (1973)Doc. Cartogr.t~col. I I, 1-16 9 Gabinaud,A. et al. (1984)Bull. Centre G~omorphol. 28, 37-44 I 0 Naert, B. et aL (1986) in Congr~ssur la Protec-
tion de la Sant~Humaine et lesCultures en Milieu Tropical, 545-55 I Andr~ Gabinaud is an ecologist with the Entente Interd~partementale pour la D&noustication du Littoral M~diterraneen, 165 Av. Paul Rirnbaud, Montpellier 34030, France.
formulation of novel filaricides. The main focus is on the interactions between host and parasite. Here the action of the cellular and humoral arms of the immune system against various stages of the parasite are discussed in detail. This is followed by a chapter on immunodiagnosis and ends with a review on the mode of action of filaricides. One of the strengths of this book is the discussion at the end of each chapter and of the general discussions on the development of disease, ocular lesions in onchocerciasis and protective immunity. The general message however, is that m~ch of the research on filariasis is still in its infancy. Future work is still hindered by the lack of parasite material which is exacerbated by the absence of convenient laboratory hosts for the most common filariae. Moreover filariasis is a chronic disease and progress is by its very nature slow. However the foundations are being laid and with the recent innovations in molecular biology perhaps the production of effective immunodiagnostic kits and even vaccines are not too far away. These are hopes for the future, but what of the present? I was disappointed
that so little attention was paid to control in the field now. There have been undoubted successes, how were they achieved? Is there a consensus for future control strategies and can this be achieved through the Primary Health Care System? Come to think of it, this topic needs a symposium of its own. Because Filariasis is a collection of papers from a symposium there are some important topics which only get a cursory mention. For anyone entering filariasis for the first time I would recommend that this book should be read along with Manabu Sasa's Human Filariasis (University of Tokyo Press, 1976) which will fill most of the gaps even" if it is a little dated. Anyone seriously interested in the study of filariasis should • buy a copy of Filariasis. It is also a must for the library shelf of any university where parasitology is taught, providing there are still funds available for such 'luxuries'. A good book on filariasis has been long overdue. This is it.
Veterinary Parasitology
exotic to this area or not considered to be of general interest, are excluded or given only passing mention. The selection of material is conservatively made and - although it may not entirely please parasitologists in all parts of the world - makes the book valuable for veterinary students and practitioners on most continents. There is a deliberate effort to clear the way through the underbrush of controversial topics which are of little relevance to the veterinary clinician, and coverage of topics of major personal interest to the individual authors seems to be held modestly within bounds. By way of complaint, reproductions of some of the black and white figures are of disappointingly low quality. Many of the line drawings of protozoa do not match the quality of the text. Also, a few of the colour plates- for example, those of Cyclorrhaphan files - although presumably adding to the cost of the book,
G.M. Irquhart,J. Armour,J.L. Duncan, A.M. Dunn and F.W. Jennings Longman Scientific and Technical, 1987. £36, $59.50 (iii + 286 pages) ISBN 0 582 40906 3 Here is a very good textbook on veterinary parasitology, up to date, crisply and carefully trimmed to provide practical information for the veterinary student and clinician. It is a well-balanced book with sober perspective produced by five erudite collaborators. The format is Glasgow Traditional, with a bare minimum of taxonomy -just enough to provide an effective framework in which to place most helminth, arthropod and protozoan parasites of veterinary importance. The emphasis is on parasites generally considered to be of veterinary importance in Western Europe. Other parasites,
S. Undsay MedicalResearchCouncil Laboratories, Fajara,The Gambia
ParasitologyToday, voL 3, no. 10, 1987
321
add relatively little useful information. There are no references provided in this textbook, apart from a very few on diagnostic procedures. The decision to do this is explained in the Foreword ... with some regret and much relief on the grounds that it would have meant the inclusion, in a book primarily intended for undergraduates, of hundreds of references". Does this imply iLhat undergraduates are too busy (or otlherwise) to make good use of references? I think a
Anatomical Drawings of Biting Flies by Boris.lobling, BritishMuseum (Natural History) in associationwith the: Wellcome Trust, 1987. £9.95 (119 i~ges) ISBN 0 565 01004 2 In the aftermath of the Russian revolution, Boris Jobling reached England in 1920, together with Cecil Hoare who was repatriated at that time. Jobling worked as a private artist for Hoare and was later appointed to the ';taft of the Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research. He retired from service of the Wellcome Foundation in 1958, and died last year aged 92. Jobling was described as "one of the very finest entomological artists in the classical style". His careful drawings of protozoa and arthropods illustrate many classic texts, including those of Hoare, Wenyon and Uvarov. The collection of his work is now housed in the Wellcome Museum of Medical Science, but the selection of anatomical drawings of Phlebotomus, Aedes, Simuliurn, Chrysops and Stomoxys, which make up this finely produced volume, include some of his best. The drawings, prepared by camera
balance should perhaps be sought between the student's need for a strictly practical source of information, and the danger of his relying too heavily on dogmatic statements, however authoritative. To be realistic, however, there are other more wordy textbooks on this subject (with references) already on the market and this one is the best book of its type now available for the stated audience. It is refreshingly conservative. The
promises of technical improvements in diagnostic and prophylactic measures are mentioned circumspectly, and the recommended diagnostic methods and treatments are of the well-established and effective variety.
lucida, were prepared for publication by D.J. Lewis - another greatly mourned entomologist who died earlier this year. They are clear, painstakingly detailed, well laid out in a large format, and will serve as a timeless reference. Nor is the book beyond reach. Its modest price, through the generosity of the Wellcome Trust, makes it accessible to all. The British Museum of Natural History and The o~l Welcome Trust are to be congratulated for producing such a ph useful and attractive 1.0 volume. We must hope that other great works of medical & parasitology may also 24.~q receive such 27 sympathetic treatment.
Fig. 297 Stomoxyscalcitrens, £ ; internal structure of head and proboscis.
........
-~x~
~
fat. b
a. n v
7
C.J. Schofleld
/m
fd cn
/bl
sL d
22 rh
., Ix::
.
J.R. Allen Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
,!.
"21
ht
. . . . . . . . .
1.0
Fig. 214 Simulium (Wghelmia)sp.,£; right half of body showing natural position of internal organs.
i'
Parasitology Today, voL 3, no. I0, 1987
4 Rioux,J.A.et al. (I 964)Arch. Inst. PasteurTunis 41,385-396 , 5 Rioux,J.A.et al. (1967)Arch.Inst.PasteurTunis 44, 429~142 6 Gabinaud, A. (1975) Ecologie de Deux Aedes Halophiles du Littoral M~diterran~en Fran~ais Thesis, Centre Universitaire de Perpignan
Filariasis Ciba Foundation Symposium 12 7.
John Wiley & Sons, 1987. £28.95 (ix + 305 pages) ISBN 0 471 91093 7 Can you judge a book by its cover? This one says 'Filariasis' once, and 'Ciba Foundation' 17 times. Perhaps it is celebrating the fortieth birthday of the foundation, established as an international scientific charity in 1947 by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Ciba. The foundation organizes about eight symposia each year, and should c.ertainly be proud of this one. Held in Singapore last year, the Filariasis symposium attracted most of the leading figures in the field and has resulted in an excellent guide to the present thrust of research in this type of disease. Filariasis, as the book opens, is a broad topic, encompassing eight species of insect-borne filarial nematodes which are responsible for widespread morbidity in man. Together, lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis affect an estimated 130 million people living in the tropics. Sadly, the prevalence of lymphatic filariasis is increasing, primarily as a consequence of the spread of its major urban vector, the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus. Attempts to control filariasis through the use of chemotherapy and vector control have had their successes, but there is still no safe drug for treatment against infective larvae and adult filariae. The use of insecticides in many control programmes is only a partial answer and there is always the hovering threat of insecticide resistance. The future of fllafiasis control therefore demands a new approach. The Symposium proceedings begin by briefly reviewing the epidemiology of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis before describing the complicated spectrum of disease. The genetics, biochemistry and morphology of filarial life stages are discussed in relation to species and strain identification and the
7 Cousserans,J. et al. (1969) Vie et Milieu, S6r. C20, 1-20 8 Pautou,G. et aL (1973)Doc. Cartogr.t~col. I I, 1-16 9 Gabinaud,A. et al. (1984)Bull. Centre G~omorphol. 28, 37-44 I 0 Naert, B. et aL (1986) in Congr~ssur la Protec-
tion de la Sant~Humaine et lesCultures en Milieu Tropical, 545-55 I Andr~ Gabinaud is an ecologist with the Entente Interd~partementale pour la D&noustication du Littoral M~diterraneen, 165 Av. Paul Rirnbaud, Montpellier 34030, France.
formulation of novel filaricides. The main focus is on the interactions between host and parasite. Here the action of the cellular and humoral arms of the immune system against various stages of the parasite are discussed in detail. This is followed by a chapter on immunodiagnosis and ends with a review on the mode of action of filaricides. One of the strengths of this book is the discussion at the end of each chapter and of the general discussions on the development of disease, ocular lesions in onchocerciasis and protective immunity. The general message however, is that m~ch of the research on filariasis is still in its infancy. Future work is still hindered by the lack of parasite material which is exacerbated by the absence of convenient laboratory hosts for the most common filariae. Moreover filariasis is a chronic disease and progress is by its very nature slow. However the foundations are being laid and with the recent innovations in molecular biology perhaps the production of effective immunodiagnostic kits and even vaccines are not too far away. These are hopes for the future, but what of the present? I was disappointed
that so little attention was paid to control in the field now. There have been undoubted successes, how were they achieved? Is there a consensus for future control strategies and can this be achieved through the Primary Health Care System? Come to think of it, this topic needs a symposium of its own. Because Filariasis is a collection of papers from a symposium there are some important topics which only get a cursory mention. For anyone entering filariasis for the first time I would recommend that this book should be read along with Manabu Sasa's Human Filariasis (University of Tokyo Press, 1976) which will fill most of the gaps even" if it is a little dated. Anyone seriously interested in the study of filariasis should • buy a copy of Filariasis. It is also a must for the library shelf of any university where parasitology is taught, providing there are still funds available for such 'luxuries'. A good book on filariasis has been long overdue. This is it.
Veterinary Parasitology
exotic to this area or not considered to be of general interest, are excluded or given only passing mention. The selection of material is conservatively made and - although it may not entirely please parasitologists in all parts of the world - makes the book valuable for veterinary students and practitioners on most continents. There is a deliberate effort to clear the way through the underbrush of controversial topics which are of little relevance to the veterinary clinician, and coverage of topics of major personal interest to the individual authors seems to be held modestly within bounds. By way of complaint, reproductions of some of the black and white figures are of disappointingly low quality. Many of the line drawings of protozoa do not match the quality of the text. Also, a few of the colour plates- for example, those of Cyclorrhaphan files - although presumably adding to the cost of the book,
G.M. Irquhart,J. Armour,J.L. Duncan, A.M. Dunn and F.W. Jennings Longman Scientific and Technical, 1987. £36, $59.50 (iii + 286 pages) ISBN 0 582 40906 3 Here is a very good textbook on veterinary parasitology, up to date, crisply and carefully trimmed to provide practical information for the veterinary student and clinician. It is a well-balanced book with sober perspective produced by five erudite collaborators. The format is Glasgow Traditional, with a bare minimum of taxonomy -just enough to provide an effective framework in which to place most helminth, arthropod and protozoan parasites of veterinary importance. The emphasis is on parasites generally considered to be of veterinary importance in Western Europe. Other parasites,
S. Undsay MedicalResearchCouncil Laboratories, Fajara,The Gambia
ParasitologyToday, voL 3, no. 10, 1987
321
add relatively little useful information. There are no references provided in this textbook, apart from a very few on diagnostic procedures. The decision to do this is explained in the Foreword ... with some regret and much relief on the grounds that it would have meant the inclusion, in a book primarily intended for undergraduates, of hundreds of references". Does this imply iLhat undergraduates are too busy (or otlherwise) to make good use of references? I think a
Anatomical Drawings of Biting Flies by Boris.lobling, BritishMuseum (Natural History) in associationwith the: Wellcome Trust, 1987. £9.95 (119 i~ges) ISBN 0 565 01004 2 In the aftermath of the Russian revolution, Boris Jobling reached England in 1920, together with Cecil Hoare who was repatriated at that time. Jobling worked as a private artist for Hoare and was later appointed to the ';taft of the Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research. He retired from service of the Wellcome Foundation in 1958, and died last year aged 92. Jobling was described as "one of the very finest entomological artists in the classical style". His careful drawings of protozoa and arthropods illustrate many classic texts, including those of Hoare, Wenyon and Uvarov. The collection of his work is now housed in the Wellcome Museum of Medical Science, but the selection of anatomical drawings of Phlebotomus, Aedes, Simuliurn, Chrysops and Stomoxys, which make up this finely produced volume, include some of his best. The drawings, prepared by camera
balance should perhaps be sought between the student's need for a strictly practical source of information, and the danger of his relying too heavily on dogmatic statements, however authoritative. To be realistic, however, there are other more wordy textbooks on this subject (with references) already on the market and this one is the best book of its type now available for the stated audience. It is refreshingly conservative. The
promises of technical improvements in diagnostic and prophylactic measures are mentioned circumspectly, and the recommended diagnostic methods and treatments are of the well-established and effective variety.
lucida, were prepared for publication by D.J. Lewis - another greatly mourned entomologist who died earlier this year. They are clear, painstakingly detailed, well laid out in a large format, and will serve as a timeless reference. Nor is the book beyond reach. Its modest price, through the generosity of the Wellcome Trust, makes it accessible to all. The British Museum of Natural History and The o~l Welcome Trust are to be congratulated for producing such a ph useful and attractive 1.0 volume. We must hope that other great works of medical & parasitology may also 24.~q receive such 27 sympathetic treatment.
Fig. 297 Stomoxyscalcitrens, £ ; internal structure of head and proboscis.
........
-~x~
~
fat. b
a. n v
7
C.J. Schofleld
/m
fd cn
/bl
sL d
22 rh
., Ix::
.
J.R. Allen Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
,!.
"21
ht
. . . . . . . . .
1.0
Fig. 214 Simulium (Wghelmia)sp.,£; right half of body showing natural position of internal organs.
i'