key: cord-1016886-2f5w411y
authors: Van Tilburg, Christopher
title: Exotic Viral Diseases: A Global Guide Stephen A. Berger Charles H. Calisher
date: 2004-09-30
journal: Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
DOI: 10.1580/1080-6032(2004)15[231:evdagg]2.0.co;2
sha: a9c2a7e2afbc82f6e729fd078eeb336946227116
doc_id: 1016886
cord_uid: 2f5w411y

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Infectious disease is a rapidly evolving field; new viral agents are continually being identified, and the geographic ranges of known viruses continue to evolve. As recent experiences with West Nile virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and monkeypox dramatically illustrate, clinicians in any setting may be called on to consider infectious entities from any part of the globe due to shifts in geographic disease distribution, travel-related imported infections, or even potentially intentional releases of exotic viruses.

Exotic Viral Diseases: A Global Guide provides a valuable source of information about some well-known and many obscure viruses. It does this within the confines of a pocket-sized book and a CD-ROM. In no other book of this size can one read about Ilhéus and Bussuquara fevers (causes of fever, myalgias, and occasionally encephalitis in Brazil, Columbia, and Panama), O'nyong-nyong fever (a mosquito-borne togavirus infection that causes fever, headache, conjunctivitis, and arthralgias and that has caused massive outbreaks in central Africa), or Kyasanur Forest disease (which has caused outbreaks of fever, conjunctivitis, and often hemorrhagic pulmonary edema in India), not to mention many others such as tanapox virus, Thogoto virus, and Sindbis fever.

The introduction contains some useful discussion of the general approach to exotic viruses, which are defined as viruses of either limited geographic distribution or ones that are rarely encountered. There are some useful tables categorizing the exotic viruses by their vectors, routes of transmission, and natural reservoirs. Other tables list the viral agents that may cause conjunctivitis, encephalitis, or other clinical presentations.

The bulk of the book consists of concise descriptions of the specific exotic viruses, including the frequent numerous synonymous names for the viruses, their reservoirs, vectors, mode of transmission, incubation periods, clinical presentation, appropriate diagnostic tests, therapy, geographic range, and relevant isolation precautions. These sections are very clear and to the point. The entry for each virus also includes a brief but helpful list of additional references. These citations are particularly valuable because searching for additional references on viruses as obscure as some of these can be difficult with ordinary medical on-line literature; these viruses frequently do not have their own search terms. For example, an attempt to search a common on-line medical literature search system for references on Rocio virus (an uncommon cause of viral illness in rural Brazil, which may progress to encephalitis with a 10% mortality) refers one to thousands of articles on the entire family of flaviviruses, while the section in Exotic Viral Diseases on Rocio encephalitis provides a concise description and 4 references.

Since infectious disease is such a rapidly changing field, it is impossible for any text to remain current for long. This book is a good example, since it was published before the SARS epidemic and does not refer to the SARS coronavirus, and while it does contain a section on monkeypox, it does not mention the use of smallpox vaccine for the pre-exposure or postexposure management of monkeypox. The section on Japanese encephalitis would also be enhanced by a table or listing of the seasons of risk in the involved countries. Overall, these are minor and understandable limitations.

Exotic Viral Infections comes with a handy CD-ROM. While the CD contains the complete text of the book in the exact same format, the CD is more easily searched and therefore is in some ways more user-friendly than the actual text. The text is organized according to specific viral diseases. Consequently, to identify the viral infections prevalent in a specific country in the hardcopy of the book requires a certain amount of flipping around, while with the CD-ROM, merely clicking on edit, search, and query quickly pulls up all the viruses prevalent in that country.

The complete focus on viral infections, including many not often considered, is the strength of this book. It is also its most significant limitation. Clinicians seeking information on the range of infections prevalent in particular regions of the world, or seeking differential diagnostic possibilities for patients with specific constellations of symptoms, will be well alerted to a comprehensive range of possible viral etiologies, but only viral possibilities, as bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and noninfectious entities are not within the scope of the book. The book will be most useful when used as an adjunct to a more comprehensive resource on infectious diseases, travel medicine, or tropical medicine. However, for those with an interest in exotic infectious diseases or with responsibility for persons working in, traveling to, or returning from regions throughout the world, Exotic Viral Diseases, and especially its CD-ROM, will be both an enjoyable and useful library addition. The Yellowstone wolves are possibly the most highly profiled and observed wild wolf population in the world and are ''arguably the greatest wildlife experiment of the 20th century.'' James Halfpenny, a renowned wildlife ecologist and educator for over 40 years, knows his subject. Not only has he taught outdoor education and environmental programs to many others, but he has lived in the Yellowstone ecosystem for years, observing wolves in his own back yard. Yellowstone Wolves in the Wild tells the story of these famous reintroduced wolves through the eyes of both seasoned wolf biologists and lucky park visitors in the right place at the right time. Perhaps you read The Wolves of Yellowstone 1 and are familiar with the controversial reintroduction of the wolf to the same ecosystem from which they were exterminated only a few decades before. Halfpenny has a lot to add; he begins where Smith 1 left off, telling the story of the fascinating wolf and the successful proliferation of a native species once lost.

Highlights from the book include the following:

• ''Knowing the Yellowstone Wolves'' (the wolf population grew from 14 in 1995 to more than 200 in 2002); • ''The Territorial Imperative'' (the author describes how wolves mark and establish turf, tells the story of one wolf trapped after taking a 175-mile journey to Ogden, UT, and relates stories of wolf packs in their attempt at often deadly conflict resolution within their species and with competing carnivores); • ''Hunting and Predation'' (describes how most wolves target the weakest, naive, young, and old compared to human hunters who will not take the old or infirm); • ''Reproduction and Growth'' (discusses denning behavior and mate theft in the wolf community); • ''Behavior Within the Pack'' (discusses typical alpha roles and play among wolves); • ''Ecology'' (discusses observed ''kleptoparasitism by grizzly bears,'' in which bears may use their larger size to steal a wolf-killed carcass); and • ''Watching Wolves'' (the author has it down to a science; exactly where and when to see the wild Yellowstone wolf with alarming accuracy).

The appendix includes a list of just about every reputable wolf-focused organization and educational source in existence (including Web site addresses) for those who want to learn more. If the stories can't hold your interest, the photography is sure to please. All photographs in the book were taken in the wild-no posed or captive shots. Graphics, maps, timelines, and photographs make the book an easy, quick, educational, and interesting read.

The Wolves of Yellowstone