First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

There are over a million different species of insects, and individually they 8 outnumber humans by more than 10 to 1. Moreover, some insects live in close association with both plants and higher animals and naturally exchange viruses with them. It has even been speculated that viruses in general may have radiated through the plant and animal kingdoms from common insect origins. Be that as it may, since insects play pivotal roles in the biosphere, both to the benefit and detriment of mankind, they and the viruses that infect them are important subjects for study. Insects are infected by a diverse medley of viruses, and this volume focuses on those insect virus families that are found primarily or exclusively in insects. All major families of insect-selective viruses are covered except for the baculo viruses, which were described in a separate volume of The Viruses series. Included in this volume are the established families of insect viruses, the newly recognized ascovirus family, and the nudiviruses, which probably represent a separate family but currently remain unclassified. The coverage of arboviruses is limited to a single chapter that focuses on their potential utility as vectors and in insect control. Omitted for practical reasons are several individual insect viruses that have been described sporadically in the literature and probably represent novel virus families.

Virus Variability and Impact on Epidemiology and Control of Diseases E. Kurstak and A. Hossain I. INTRODUCTION An important number of virus infections and their epidemic developments demonstrate that ineffec tiveness of prevention measures is often due to the mutation rate and variability of viruses (Kurstak et al., 1984, 1987). The new human immunodeficiency retroviruses and old influenza viruses are only one among several examples of virus variation that prevent, or make very difficult. the production of reliable vaccines. It could be stated that the most important factor limiting the effectiveness of vaccines against virus infections is apparently virus variation. Not much is, how ever, known about the factors influencing and responsible for the dramatically diverse patterns of virus variability. II. MUTATION RATE AND VARIABILITY OF HUMAN AND ANIMAL VIRUSES Mutation is undoubtedly the primary source of variation, and several reports in the literature suggest that extreme variability of some viruses may be a consequence of an unusually high mutation rate (Holland et al., 1982; Domingo et al., 1985; Smith and Inglis, 1987). The mutation rate of a virus is defined as the probability that during a single replication of the virus genome a particular nucleotide position is altered through substitution, deletion, insertion. or recombination. Different techniques have been utilized to measure virus mutation rates, and these have been noted in the extent of application to different viruses.

Viruses are studied either because they cause significant human, animal or plant disease or because they are useful materials for probing basic phenomena in biology, chemistry, genetics and/or molecular biology. Arenaviruses are unusually interesting in that they occupy both categories. Arenaviruses cause several human diseases known primarily as the hemorrhagic fevers occurring in South and Latin America (Bolivia: Machupo, Argentine, Junin virus, and Brazil: Sabia virus) and in Africa (Lassa fever virus). Because such viruses produce profound disabilities and often kill the persons they infect, they are a source of health concern and economic hardship in the countries where they are prevalent. Further, they provide new problems for healthcare persons owing to the narrowing of the world as visitors from many countries travel increasingly to and from endemic areas and may incubate the infectious agent taking it from an endemic area into an area where the virus is not expected. Such cases are now being re corded with increasing frequency. In addition to these hemor rhagic fever viruses, the arenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) can infect humans worldwide, although the illness is most often less disabling and severe than those elicited by the other arenaviruses. Yet, LCMV is of greater concern to non arenavirologists and experimentalists using tissue culture or ani mals, etc. , because normal-appearing cultured cells or tissues from animals used for research may be persistently infected with LCMV without manifesting clinical disease or cytopathology and may transmit that infection to laboratory workers.

Applied Virology covers the practical applications of the developments in basic virology, not only to virology but to other disciplines as well, and demonstrates the impact of virus diseases on the environment, economy, and the health of man, animals, and plants. The book discusses topics on new virus vaccine technology and chemotherapy; the status of vaccination against viral diseases; and the epidemiology and diagnosis of viral diseases. The text provides information on the strategy used to produce virus vaccines; on antiviral chemical compounds; on simple, rapid, and specific diagnostic techniques; and on epidemiology in relation to the prevention and control of virus diseases. Noninfectious, synthetized peptides used as safe virus vaccines are reviewed with special attention to their immunogenicity, multispecificity, and usefulness in case of epidemics. Virologists will find the book useful.

There are 12 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases every year.This growing world-wide problem has captured the concern of medical professionals, behavioural scientists, and public health officials.Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Vaccines, Prevention and Control provides a comprehensive assessment of the global epidemiology of sexually transmitted diseases plus current data on various strategies for controlling the epidemic, with particular focus on vaccines. The editors and authors represent the leading authorities in the field and provide international and multi-disciplinary expertise.This book is essential reading for all researchers and clinicians working in infectious diseases, virology, microbiology, immunology and vaccine development. This work will also be of key interest to medical students, physicians and workers in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and public and world health organisations.Key Features* Comprehensive coverage of epidemiology, physiology and immunology* General preventive strategies such as behavioural modification, barrier methods and topical microbicides * Individual chapters on Herpes Simplex Virus, Papillomavirus, Hepatitis B, HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea, Cytomegalovirus and Chlamydia* Pathogenesis, microbiology and clinical manifestations of each STD* Current advances in vaccine development* Foreword by Julius Schachter, President of the American STD Association