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Book Review
Tick-Borne Diseases of Humans
Jesse L. Goodman, David T. Dennis, and Daniel E. Sonenshine, editors
ASM Press, Washington, DC, 2005
ISBN: 1-55581-23-4
Pages: 440, Price: US $119.95
Suggested
citation for this article
During the past 2 decades, the scientific landscape of tickborne diseases
has changed remarkably. In part because of advances in molecular biology,
more than 10 new rickettsial diseases, several ehrlichial diseases, and
novel agents of Borrelia and Babesia genera have been recognized.
This renaissance of interest in tickborne infections benefits from advances
in molecular phylogenetics and diagnostics, immunology, and informatics
that provide tantalizing insights into the complexities of vectorborne
infection. Tick-Borne Diseases of Humans is a well-referenced textbook
that encompasses these new insights in vector biology and reviews the
emerging epidemiology and clinical science of these diseases as they occur
across the globe. The editors' goal of providing a "comprehensive"
resource is admirably fulfilled.
The book, consisting of 20 chapters by 40 contributors, is divided into
3 sections. The first section includes excellent reviews of tick biology
and systematics, tick-pathogen interactions, host responses, and vector
management. This section provides a superb overview. While thorough and
up-to-date, occasional redundancy occurs between chapters by different
authors that could have been streamlined with additional editing. A concise
and well-written chapter on the clinical approach to diagnosis and management
of these diseases also seems misplaced; it would fit in better at the
start of the next section.
Section 2 of the book includes summaries of major and lesser known tickborne
infections. These chapters each provide detailed information on specific
vectors and pathogens and on the epidemiology and clinical characteristics
of the diseases they cause. While the description of the molecular biology
and vector ecology of these infections is generally excellent, the clinical
discussions often lack the nuance and detail of current infectious diseases
texts. Nevertheless, each chapter provides current and well-referenced
information on disease manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment. Several
chapters, i.e., those on anaplasmosis, relapsing fever, and Lyme borreliosis,
are superb in all aspects.
Section 3 includes a series of global maps that depict the distribution
of different tick vectors or the diseases they cause. While useful overall,
maps on this scale do not convey the focality of tick distribution, and
their organization in the text (i.e., mixing of vector maps with disease
maps) could be improved. The maps are followed by a color atlas of tickborne
diseases with plates depicting typical skin lesions and other clinical
findings along with examples of microscopic pathology. This part of the
book is visually compelling, although the reproductions of microscopic
pathology are often small and therefore difficult to view in detail. Section
3 concludes with an almanac of the geographic distribution of ticks and
the diseases they cause. This information is often difficult to find,
and its inclusion in a chapter of the text is useful.
In summary, Tick-Borne Diseases of Humans is an excellent resource for
a diverse audience. Vector biologists (whether molecular or ecologic in
focus), infectious disease physicians, and those involved in the public
health surveillance and control of these diseases will find this book
to a valuable addition to current texts.
Robert P. Smith*
*Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine, USA
Suggested citation
for this article:
Smith R. Tick-borne
diseases of humans [book review]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet].
2005 Nov [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no11/05-1160.htm
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