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Book Review
Tuberculosis and the Tubercle
Bacillus
Steward T. Cole, Kathleen Davis Eisenach, David N. McMurray, and William
R. Jacobs Jr, editors
ASM Press, Washington, DC
ISBN: 1-55581-295-3
Pages: 584; Price: US $125.95
Suggested
citation for this article
Mycobacterial infections, including tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy, are
bacterial diseases of global importance. An estimated 2 billion people
are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Control of TB is
complicated by its ease of transmission, difficulty in administering the
long-course chemotherapy regimens, and subsequent appearance of multidrug-resistant
strains (MDR-TB). This situation is made even worse by the deadly combination
of coinfections of HIV and M. tuberculosis. New approaches to the
control of TB are urgently needed, including development of short-term
antimicrobial regimens to minimize the appearance of drug resistance,
new drugs to treat MDR-TB patients, and new vaccines with greater efficacy
than BCG.
Tuberculosis and the Tubercle Bacillus has many contributors; chapters
are provided by experts in many areas of TB research to bring together
a comprehensive update of research development in the past decade. The
publication of this book is necessary and timely, considering the current
urgencies and growing interests of investigators from various fields.
The book is divided into 3 sections, each consisting of multiple chapters
on various subjects. The first section focuses on clinical aspects of
the disease, including the global impact of TB, clinical and epidemiologic
features, as well as diagnosis and treatment. The second section deals
with the bacteriology of M. tuberculosis, with chapters devoted
to molecular genetics, genomics, cell wall structure and synthesis, and
metabolism. The third section details the host-pathogen interaction, covering
topics such as the intracellular survival of M. tuberculosis, host
immune response, animal models, and vaccine development.
The book accurately reflects current knowledge of TB and recent research
efforts and progresses to the control of the disease. The book flows smoothly
from chapter to chapter. Each chapter is clearly written and appropriately
referenced. The book focuses primarily on M. tuberculosis; research
performed on other mycobacterial species is not discussed or only briefly
mentioned. Nevertheless, at 584 pages, this book is easily read and is
a useful reference for clinicians and basic scientists, including students,
laboratory supervisors, and senior scientists.
Jun Liu*
*University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Suggested citation
for this article:
Liu J. Tuberculosis
and the tubercle bacillus [book review]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the
Internet]. 2005 Aug [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no08/05-0611.htm
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