Les Parasites des Viandes: Epidémiologie, Physiopathologie, Incidences Zoonosiques by Jacques Euzéby

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Tec & Doc Lavoisier, 1998. 350.00 FF, (xiv + 402 pages)ISBN 2 7430 0199 2The author of this book, Jacques Euzeby, has been Professor of Veterinary Parasitology, in a school of veterinary medicine, for many years. As such, he has gathered considerable experience in the epidemiology, clinical features and identification of parasites present in animal products. This knowledge is reflected in a series of lectures he gave at the Pasteur Institute of Lille and, as mentioned in the preface, this book is based on, and extends, these lectures.Sme of the parasitic agents covered in this work cause animal infections and economic loss. Others, however (such as toxoplasmosis, cysticercosis, fasciolasis, trichinellosis, hydatidosis, multilocular echinococcosis or hypodermosis) are potentially responsible for severe infections in humans, and represent a concern for the medical community. Information at the interface of human and veterinary parasitology is, therefore, necessary for medical parasitologists, microbiologists or clinicians dealing with these infections, and in this context a book addressing the field of parasites of meats is, indeed, relevant. Let us keep in mind that, in a different domain of infectious diseases, the recent emergence of prions as a problem of public health significance emphasizes the close and dynamic relationship existing between human and animal infections, and the subsequent need for continued vigilance and dialogue between human and animal health professionals.The volume comprises 11 chapters arranged in two parts. After a short introduction to host–parasite specificity and the different life cycles of parasitic organisms, the first part is devoted to parasites of skeletal muscles, ie. parasites of meat sensu stricto, and is organized in three chapters that deal with protozoa, helminths and arthropods, respectively. The second part of the book is devoted to visceral parasites, and is organized in eight chapters according to the target organs. Each chapter generally contains sections on the biology, morphology, epidemiology and life cycle of the organisms, followed by clinical and pathological features of infection in animals and humans. When relevant, sections on immunity, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention and control have also been included. Although this book thus contains a whole body of interesting and useful information, it also has a number of weaknesses that might render its use less easy than the author anticipated. Overall, the text lacks clarity, with an organization and a grading, between paragraphs in the different sections and subsections, that is not always obvious. In addition, the figure legends are not always sufficient for a rapid, and complete, understanding of the material.Finally, regarding references to the literature that (the author states in the preface) were deliberately limited to the minimum; the book would have gained clarity by including them in the text or assigning them reference numbers, as opposed to grouping them at the end of each chapter. These problems of form seem to reflect the fact that this work was designed as a lecture and was originally given orally. The same explanation probably accounts for the fact that a unique author is in charge of such a broad spectrum of information.Notwithstanding this contrast between the form and the contents, Jacques Euzeby's work has three qualities: (1) the ‘general parasitology’ section of each chapter provides useful information on the biology and life cycles of the parasites described; (2) the book brings together, in a unique volume, information that is often dispersed; and (3) it links together points of view from medical and veterinary parasitology. Thus, this work will provide interesting information to professionals in charge of the quality control of meat, to epidemiologists or public health specialists, and to medical or veterinary medicine clinicians or biologists who deal with parasitic infections.