Reemergence of Established Pathogens in the 21st Century (Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 147578726X ISBN 13: 9781475787269

Publisher: Springer, 2013

Synopsis

In the closing decade of the last century, we saw warnings that infectious diseases will require much more attention from patients and physicians in the 21 st century. Recently d- covered diseases such as AIDS pose a major threat to the population at large, and to that threat has been added the re-emergence of established pathogens, microbes that were re- ily treatable in the past. Since infectious diseases already play a major role in the burden of illness and mortality, health care providers and planners are worried. A large proportion of the problem is man-made, arising mainly from the unnecessary overuse of antimicrobials in hospital and community settings and from the agricultural misuse of the agents in animal feed. A consequence has been a dramatic increase in resi- ant strains of bacteria that were considered conquerable several decades ago. Community infections caused by multi-resistant pneumococci serve as an example. These organisms were readily treated with penicillin, but now the spread of penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae from continent to continent is becoming a worldwide problem. This is a major concern because pneumococcal infections are common in the community, being the le- ing cause of pneumonia, sinusitis, and meningitis. Resistant bacteria in hospitals are also becoming more prevalent. We have become accustomed to hearing about methicill- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), but now we have to be concerned about multidrug-resistant coliform bacteria and pseudomonads.

About this title

From The New England Journal of Medicine:

The steady and often alarming rate at which new and reemerging pathogens are appearing is well recognized. The past year alone saw a global epidemic caused by a previously unrecognized coronavirus, the first outbreak of monkeypox in the Western Hemisphere, the continued spread of West Nile virus across North America, the detection of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, outbreaks of deadly H5N1 avian influenza with transmission to humans in Asia, and the first U.S. outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza in 20 years. Adding to the concern caused by these events is the increasing emergence of antimicrobial resistance in community and health care settings. This topic is the principal focus of Reemergence of Established Pathogens in the 21st Century, the third volume in the series Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century. The book contains nine authoritative chapters by 21 authors from North America and Europe, many of whom are internationally recognized experts on their topics. The chapters are organized into three sections that are titled "The Changing Spectrum of Bacterial Infections," "Resistant Bacteria and Resurgence," and "Resistant Parasitic Infections." The two initial chapters focus on severe invasive group A streptococcal infections and the broad array of zoonotic bartonella infections recognized in recent years (e.g., cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and peliosis hepatis). Other chapters discuss important drug-resistant infections in the community (e.g., leading global killers such as pneumococcal disease, tuberculosis, and malaria) -- a crisis in many impoverished countries -- and drug-resistant infections in health care settings (e.g., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae). In addition to providing a helpful historical context for the problem, each chapter contains information on the epidemiology and microbiology of the infection (including considerable detail on mechanisms of resistance), along with information on clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies. Most chapters end with a brief discussion of factors contributing to the disease's emergence or reemergence as well as priorities for research. Each chapter is well documented, with extensive references through early 2002. One chapter contains a provocative discussion of an approach to controlling antimicrobial resistance on the basis of the "mutant selection window" hypothesis and possible approaches to reducing the risk of mutant enrichment. Overall, the chapters provide important information to the intended target audience of specialists and trainees in microbiology, infectious diseases, infection control, and epidemiology. The book makes good use of tables and figures to convey important information clearly. In addition, some of the diagrams of pathogenetic and resistance mechanisms are particularly helpful. The use of color in the histopathological images in the chapter on bartonella would have added value; however, the price of the book is already somewhat high. The problem of emerging microbial infections and the urgent need to address these threats were brought to the forefront of public health in a 1992 report by the Institute of Medicine and were the subject of a 2003 update to this report entitled Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response. This book reinforces the findings in those two reports and reminds the reader of the many factors in contemporary society that favor the continued emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases. The authors highlight the need to refocus the efforts of the clinical, research, and public health communities to improve disease surveillance and develop sensitive, specific, and rapid diagnostic tests, as well as to prescribe antimicrobial agents judiciously and continue work to develop the next generation of vaccines and antimicrobial agents. James M. Hughes, M.D.
Copyright © 2004 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

Review:

From the reviews:

"The authors of the chapters in this book have done a superb job of assembling and critically analyzing a wealth of data on pathogens that continue to pose major problems for mankind in the 21st century. This book provides an excellent reference for students, clinicians, microbiologists, and clinical investigators who are interested in some of the worlds most important pathogens." (Robert C. Moellering, Jr., M.D., Herrman L. Blumgart Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Physician-in-Chief and Chairman, Dept. of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA)
"This is a fascinating book written by some of the leading authors in their fields.[...]Overall, the reader will be rewarded by the depth and comprehensiveness of the book's chapters."
(Lowell S. Young, Director, Kuzell Institute for Arthritis and Infectious Diseases at California Pacific Medical Center and Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA)

"This is the second book of a planned multivolume set, Emerging Infections of the 21st Century ... . This book, the newest volume in this series, addresses a panoply of pathogens ... . Each chapter contains a wealth of information organized in a concise form ... . Practicing infectious disease specialists, microbiologists, and epidemiologists will find this book especially informative ... . The chapters are well referenced, providing direction for further research." (Gary S. Schleiter, CID, September, 2004)

About this edition

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 147578726X
• ISBN 13: 9781475787269
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 383
• Editor: Fong I.W., Drlica Karl