Читать книгу Basic Virology - Martinez J. Hewlett - Страница 11

Preface to the Second Edition

The text retains our organizational format. As before, Part I concerns the interactions of viruses and host populations, Part II is about the experimental details of virus infection, Part III discusses the tools used in the study of viruses, and Part IV is a detailed examination of families and groupings of viruses. We have found, in our own teaching and in comments from colleagues, that this has been a useful approach. We have also kept our emphasis on problem solving and on the provision of key references for further study.

What is new in the second edition has been driven by changes in virology and in the tools used to study viruses. Some of these changes and additions include

 a discussion of bioterrorism and the threat of viruses as weapons;

 updated information on emerging viruses such as West Nile, and their spread;

 the current state of HIV antiviral therapies;

 discussions of viral genomics in cases where sequencing has been completed;

 discussion of cutting‐edge technologies, such as atomic force microscopy and DNA microarray analysis; and

 updated glossary and reference lists.

We have, throughout the revision, tried to give the most current understanding of the state of knowledge for a particular virus or viral process. We have been guided by a sense of what our students need in order to appreciate the complexity of the virological world and to come away from the experience with some practical tools for the next stages in their careers.