Influenza: The Viruses and the Disease

This new monograph about influenza continues the tradition of excellence set forth in the earlier edition by the same authors. The type is clear, the presentation is lucid, and the subject matter is well organized. The coverage is broad, including virologic, biochemical, genetic, epidemiologic, clinical, and chemotherapeutic topics, reflecting the authors' diverse expertise; they have reached a nice balance between the number of authors and the need for breadth of the subject. Included in this edition are recent discoveries describing the structure of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase and the localization of various activities of both of these glycoproteins. Genomic structure, transcription, and translation are dealt with in some detail. The authors make the point that antigenic drift may occur as a result of a series of point mutations in the genes coding for the surface glycoproteins and that antigenic shift must occur from genetic reassortment. The authors stress that molecular studies