examples of personal experiences, enabling the reader to understand how basic
genetic phenomena in microorganisms
can give rise to the acquisition of new features that may finally affect life on our
planet. However, the author is unable to
revert from his training as a doctor specialized in infectious diseases, which is
why most of the examples refer to pathogens. Moreover, the author draws attention to the consequences that human actions or, contrarily, human inaction (e.g.,
with respect to global warming and poverty) may exert on the emergence and
propagation of infectious diseases, proposing some solutions with regard to this
subject.
In spite of the academic features already
described, some chapters are decidedly
provocative, with the certainty of generating a variety of responses. For example,
viruses are defined as true living things,
and prions are classified within the microbial realm, which may be open to dispute (Dr. Pechere states, “I must decidedly
classify prions among microbes” [p. 17]).
Other chapters express deep personal
convictions on concepts such as altruism,
egoism, sentiments, intelligence, and
ethics. These characteristics are attributed
to microbes, although with certain nuances. The author expresses his honest
opinion and conviction with regard to
these subjects, relying at times on scientific
grounds but more often on philosophical
lines of reasoning. Chapters 13 and 14 are
particularly stimulating, because they deal
with sentiment and intelligence, respectively, and are based almost exclusively on
philosophical premises.
There are, however, 2 main stumbling
blocks. First, the book generally provides
argumentations and references that support the author’s hypotheses, and those
that are contrary to these hypotheses are
scant or absent. This incites the readers
who are interested in the most controversial parts of the book to look for new references. Second, in spite of the fact that
the didactic part of the book is well constructed and provides interesting and ex-
tensive information on basic microbial biology, the more stimulating parts may
confuse the nonspecialist reader.
In summary, this is an interesting book
that is a blend of essay and popular science
and that will interest a variety of readers.
However, I must warn readers without a
global scientific background that some
statements are, to a great extent, not scientifically substantiated.
Jesús Blázquez
Departamento de Biotecnologı́a Microbiana,
Centro Nacional de Biotecnologı́a,
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones
Cientı́ficas, Madrid, Spain
CDC Health Information
for International Travel
2008
Edited by Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Paul M. Arguin,
Phyllis E. Kozarsky, and Christie Reed
St. Louis: Mosby, 2007.
648 pp., illustrated. a18.99 (softcover).
CDC Health Information for International
Travel, which is published every 2 years,
is well recognized as being one of the authoritative textbooks for guidance on issues relating to travel health. For the first
time this year, this book has been published as a source of information and guidance both for the public and for physicians
who practice travel medicine, family medicine, infectious diseases medicine, and occupational medicine.
The book is extraordinarily comprehensive in its coverage of all the important,
appropriate issues relating to travel medicine, and it covers almost the entire range
of infectious diseases encountered during
travel—both common and uncommon
diseases, as well as noninfectious hazards,
including environmental hazards, altitude
sickness (travel to high altitudes is now
quite commonplace), and accidents. Families travel for both pleasure and because
of deployment, and guidance regarding
how best to travel with infants and chil-
486 • CID 2008:46 (1 February) • BOOK REVIEWS
dren is discussed in a thorough and logical
manner. It is often said that anybody can
and should travel, and this book provides
excellent guidance for travelers who are
pregnant or immunosuppressed or who
have other underlying medical conditions
for which special consideration should be
given. The topic of cruise travel is often
omitted in travel medicine publications,
even though it has become one of the
more popular ways to travel around the
continents of the world and is often an
attractive mode of travel for elderly travelers, because it provides them with not
only the opportunity to travel to long-haul
destinations, but to do so with the security
of knowing that they can do as much or
as little as they wish once they arrive at
their destination. It is commendable that
this book discusses all these travel health
issues and even goes as far as giving guidance on how to travel with dogs, cats, and
other less common family pets!
Each chapter in a section is written by
experts in the field. In the majority of
chapters, the level of detail is sufficient for
both the public and health care practitioners. If I were to mention a shortcoming of this book, it would be that topics
for which more clinical explanation and
guidance are required (e.g., with regard to
altitude sickness) could be addressed with
specific cross-references to other clinical
handbooks. Conversely, I did find the level
of detail regarding yellow fever vaccine
and viscerotropic adverse events to be a
little too great; my concern is that the public may misinterpret some of the quoted
figures regarding risk. Truthfully, I can
only conclude that it is very difficult to
find the right balance of information for
a diverse readership, and overall, the authors and the editors have done just this.
The accompanying illustrations are excellent; they are enhanced by the willingness
of the publisher to incorporate color, making the maps and figures very clear and
informative, as are the tables, which are
easy to follow and interpret.
The need for such an excellent publication cannot be emphasized enough
when one considers the number of people
criss-crossing the world each year. There
were 846 million international tourist arrivals in 2006, and international arrivals
are expected to reach nearly 1.6 billion by
the year 2020. The World Health Report
2007—A Safer Future: Global Public
Health Security in the 21st Century describes how infectious diseases are now
spreading geographically much faster than
at any time in history; when one considers
that an estimated 2.1 billion airline passengers traveled in 2006, an outbreak or
epidemic in any one part of the world is
quite clearly a real possibility. When all of
this is put in context, the realization is that
the practice of travel medicine is an essential component of maintaining the
health of travelers and, importantly, of reducing the risk of importation of infectious diseases to developed countries, with
the concomitant possibility of 21st century
global public health threats.
The editors are to be commended in
providing a book that is invaluable to both
the traveling public and health care practitioners, to whom I would highly recommend this publication. The travel
health guidance is a pleasure to read and
follow, and the book is easy on the eye,
making it attractive to read. I hope that it
will accomplish another feat: to get the
traveling public’s “buy-in,” so that they
will seek out their travel health practitioner and ensure that, whenever and
wherever they travel, they shall be protected fully against infectious diseases and
other hazards—and will also have packed
this very useful travel health guide in their
hand luggage!
nals of the New York Academy of Sciences,
2007. 462 pp. $125.00. ISBN: 1-57331668-1.
Fairchild AL, Bayer R, Colgrove J. Searching
Eyes: Privacy, the State, and Disease Surveillance in America. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2007. 342 pp.
$19.95. ISBN: 978-0-520-25325-4.
Keeling MJ, Rohani P. Modeling Infectious
Diseases in Humans and Animals. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008.
367 pp. $65.00. ISBN: 978-0-691-11617-4.
Manivannan G. Disinfection and Decontamination Principles, Applications and Related Issues. New York: CRC Press, 2008.
496 pp. $139.95. ISBN: 978-0-849-39074-6.
Sherman IW. Twelve Diseases That Changed
Our World. Washington, DC: ASM Press,
2007. 230 pp. $29.95. ISBN: 978-1-55581466-3.
Simjee S. Foodborne Diseases. Totowa, NJ:
Humana Press, 2007. 540 pp. $149.00.
ISBN: 978-1-588-29-518-7.
Stone J. Conducting Clinical Research.
Cumberland, MD: Mountainside MD
Press, 2006. 448 pp. $69.95. ISBN: 978-0974917-80-1.
Yindou J. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Protocols. Totowa, NJ:
Humana Press, 2007. 264 pp. $99.90.
ISBN: 978-1-588-29-655-9.
Jane N. Zuckerman
Academic Centre for Travel Medicine & Vaccines
and Royal Free Travel Health Centre, World Health
Organization Collaborating Centre for Travel
Medicine, London, United Kingdom
New Books Received
Clemons KV, Laniado-Laborin R, Stevens
DA. Coccidioidomycosis. Malden, MA:
Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the AnBOOK REVIEWS • CID 2008:46 (1 February) • 487