Tropical Medicine and International Health

volume 3 no 7 pp 601 july 1998

Book review

Dengue and Dengue Haemorrhagic fever

Eds. D. J Gubler & G. Kuno

CAB International, Wallingford, 1997. 496 pages (HB). £75.ISBN 0-85199-134-3

The dengue viruses are currently the most important viruses

transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Intensive

urbanisation, exploitation of man-made breeding sites by

Aedes vector mosquitoes, and the development of efficient

transport allows rapid movement of infected humans,

introducing the viruses to new areas. This has resulted in a

rapidly rising incidence of dengue viruses globally. Although

there is a large body of published scientific information on

these viruses, it is often difficult to obtain. This book aims to

give a comprehensive coverage of many aspects of dengue

and severe dengue haemorrhagic fever, to identify current

issues, and to stimulate much-needed research towards

effective control.

The book comprises 20 chapters and is divided into four

sections: Part 1, Natural History, covers the history of

dengue and its resurgence as a global problem,

epidemiology, mosquitoes and virus-vector relationships

and factors influencing transmission dynamics. Part 2,

Clinical Aspects and Treatment, deals with the clinical

spectrum of dengue infection, the pathology of dengue

infections and diagnosis and management. Part 3, The

Viruses and the Immune Response, deals with the taxonomy

and evolutionary relationships of flaviviruses, molecular

biology of dengue viruses, immunochemistry of the dengue

viruses, antibody responses to infection, viral pathogenesis,

immunopathogenesis, immunosuppression and cytotoxicity,

laboratory diagnosis, and molecular techniques in laboratory

diagnosis. The final section (Part 4), on prevention and

control, focuses on the live attenuated dengue vaccine,

recombinant dengue vaccines, surveillance and urban

mosquito control.

All the chapters are accurate, up-to-date, and authorative

reviews written by specialists. No matter what your own

particular speciality – be it clinical, virological, molecular,

epidemiological, entomological or control – there is a wealth

of factual information here. Overall, this book is a very

valuable contribution to the study of dengue and I

recommend it without hesitation.

Colin Leake

© 1998 Blackwell Science Ltd 601

601 TP179 Leake 6/7/98 10:44 am Page 601