Bøker i Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century-serien

Compiled by two leading experts in the field, this volume provides a concise, timely, and authoritative review of some of the most problematic infections of the new century. It presents issues and new ideas for preventing and controlling infectious diseases.

This comprehensive, up-to-date volume defines the issues and offers potential solutions to the challenges of antimicrobial resistance.

Compiled by two leading experts in the field, this volume provides a concise, timely, and authoritative review of some of the most problematic infections of the new century. It presents issues and new ideas for preventing and controlling infectious diseases.

This volume provides an overview of host genetic factors that provide complete or partial resistance to infection, that influence the clinical outcome of infection, or that confer the capacity to remain healthy during infection.

In the closing decade of the last century, we saw warnings that infectious diseases will require much more attention from patients and physicians in the 21 st century.

This book was originally conceived at a conference at the University of Turin in Italy. The conference was organized to examine the so-called ΓÇ£Malaria HypothesisΓÇ¥, that is to say, the higher fitness of t- lassemia heterozygotes in a malarial environment, and to pay tribute to the proponent of that hypothesis, J.B.S. Haldane. Contributors to this book examine certain genetic and evolutionary aspects of malaria which is a major killer of human populations, especially in Africa and Asia. There were attempts to discredit HaldaneΓÇÖs contribution from two directions: (a) it has been suggested that the ΓÇ£Malaria HypothesisΓÇ¥ was known long before Haldane and that there was nothing original about his idea (Lederberg 1999), and that (b) the hypothesis of heterozygote su- riority was first suggested by the Italian biologist Giuseppe Montalenti who communicated his idea to Haldane (Allison 2004). Surely, both c- not be right. In fact, the evidence presented in this book clearly indicates that both are wrong. HaldaneΓÇÖs malaria hypothesis has stimulated a great deal of research on the genetic, evolutionary and epidemiological aspects of malaria d- ing the last 50 years. It has opened up a whole new chapter in the study of infectious diseases. It deserves serious consideration. For helpful discussions we thank Lucio Luzzatto, Alberto Piazza, Guido Modiano and David Roberts.

A follow-up to Emerging Issues and Controversies in Infectious Diseases, this volume provides a comprehensive review of topical issues in infectious diseases, highlighting the controversies related to the newest findings and recommendations.