Illustrated helminths and protozoans

Abstract

Atlas of Medical Helminthology and Protozoology (4th edition)edited by P.L. Chiodini, A.H. Moody and D.W. Manser, Churchill Livingstone, 2001. £35.00 (82 pages) ISBN 0443 062 684As the authors comment in their preface, major advances in immunology and molecular biology have transformed our understanding of human parasitic diseases. Newly recognized human pathogens, such as Cyclospora, have appeared, and other parasites have increased their incidence, owing to the current AIDS epidemic.The Atlas of Medical Helminthology and Protozoology (4th edition) provides a well described set of illustrations of the life cycles and morphology for important helminths and protozoan parasites of humans. This book also has a strong emphasis on diagnosis and is well illustrated with color drawings and photomicrographs. However, there are no references, which is not helpful for readers interested in finding out more about the parasites described. There are also some mistakes, some small and some not so small. Although the authors indicated that protozoa and helminths are studied in parasitology, and viruses, bacteria and fungi are usually studied in microbiology, they included Microsporidia as a protozoan despite recent evidence suggesting that Microsporidia belong to the group of fungi, – no information is provided about these recent findings. Some important steps in the life cycle of some helminths are not clear in the drawings. For example, in the Ascaris lumbricoides life cycle, juveniles appear to hatch in the stomach instead of the duodenum. Ova from Hymenolepis nana and Hymenolepis diminuta are shown in one plate but their life cycles are not described. Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes, and not promastigotes, are the forms present in the gut of insects. These mistakes will no doubt be put right in the next edition.This book is agreeably written and beautifully illustrated. The life cycles are extremely easy to follow and informative. This book could be useful for university teachers, undergraduates or medical students, and personnel involved in diagnostics as an introduction to the world of helminthology and protozoology.