Review of "Ticks: Biology, Disease and Control" by Alan Bowman & Patricia Nuttall (eds.)

This fine book demonstrates how far the field of tick biology has progressed in the last 40 years.I remember discussions with colleagues who were studying ticks and associated diseases, whilst I was studying insects as virus vectors, all in a laboratory in Kenya.They claimed their job was much tougher because the textbooks they had to help them consisted of one each from Yuri Balashov, Don Arthur and Harry Hoogstraal; whilst entomology texts could then fill a small library.Apart from a dozen recent texts on various aspects of tick biology we now have Daniel Sonenshine's comprehensive explanatory textbook and this wide multi-author compilation of specialist topics edited by Alan Bowman and Pat Nuttall.It originated in a commissioned special issue of Parasitology in 2004, now expanded by further authors and revisions.So unlike many books derived from conference proceedings, 51 well established researchers have written 21 substantial review articles, all supported by long lists of recent literature.The coverage is good, so it is easier to indicate topics not covered directly: gut and digestion, and behaviour are missing; and tick associated pathogens comprise one review on viruses, two on one bacterium each, and two on one genus of protozoa each.Of course, any attempt to cover the gamut of pathogens requires another full textbook, so some generic examples are appropriate for this book.Furthermore, the coverage is a good reflection of current research interests and so it must be emphasized here that this is a book intended for researchers rather than non-specialists seeking facts about the basics of tick biology.