Virology in Health Care,

Abstract

This book is a worthy successor to the previously successful five editions of the Textbook of Virology edited by A. J. Rhodes and C. E. van Rooyen. Its stated purpose is for students and practitioners in the health professions and trainees in medical microbiology and public health. Dr McLean has done a remarkable job of extensively referencing each chapter, and the book is well illustrated throughout. There are also touches of humor and originality, which make the points for which they are intended. For example, the very first figure in the book relates the size of a poliovirus virion to various objects, including a bicycle. The section of laboratory diagnosis is concise, clear, and spares the reader the finer technical details that can be found in reference books intended specifically for the laboratory. My only argument with this particular section is the implication that rapid serotype identification of enterovirus isolates