Medical Virology: A Practical Approach (practical Approach Series)

Like other biomedical sciences, medical virology has undergone a revolution of diagnostic and scientific approaches through the advent of molecular biological techniques. Developing and maintaining an appropriate mixture of classical and molecular techniques for viral analysis is one of the challenges of medical virology today, and this volume addresses these issues. Topics covered include a broad description of "classical" techniques in viral diagnosis, nucleic acid detection by extraction and hybridization, use of the polymerase chain reaction, the application of various molecular techniques to aspects of the epidemiology of virus infections, and the principles and practical approaches to the analysis of viral evolution. The book will be of interest to students, researchers and professionals in medical virologoy, particularly hospital workers, microbiology, and molecular biology.

Shirley F. Reising

This very useful new book on conventional and molecular techniques used for diagnosis of virus infection and isolate analysis incorporates detailed protocols from a variety of specialists in the science of virology. The purpose is to provide current and practical procedures in the field of virology using conventional and molecular techniques and describing their application to areas of viral diagnosis, epidemiology, and viral evolution. The authors delineate the advantages, limitations, and interpretation of the information derived from the use of these techniques. This is a much needed text because of the rapid development of techniques used in the identification, analysis, and study of viruses. The book meets its objectives. The book is targeted to clinical and nonclinical virology oriented professinals. The book has many applications that provide practical and detailed information to several disciplines within virology. The authors are very credible in their respective disciplines and provide concise and accurate information. The book provides numerous charts, tables, and graphs to clarify and illustrate many of the protocols outlined in the chapters. The references are sufficient, current, and helpful. The protocols are detailed in a manner that easily allows adaptability into the laboratory. This is a very useful and up-to-date book for medical virologists and microbiologists. It combines a mixture of conventional and molecular techniques for viral analysis and applies these to practical use in diverse medical settings. The book helps fill the gap for true procedural laboratory workbooks and provides interpretation, application, and limitations of the procedures used in thechanging field of medical virology.