Geoffrey Smith is a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow at the Wright-Fleming Institute, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK. Will Irving is a Reader in Virology in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Nottingham, UK. John McCauley is a researcher in the Division of Molecular Biology at the Institute of Animal Health, Compton. UK. Dave Rowlands is Professor of Molecular Virology in the Division of Microbiology at the University of Leeds, UK.

'… an excellent reference for students and researchers alike and scores well on topicality, authoritativeness and accuracy …' P. Roy, Journal of Epidemiology

• Preface; 1. The viruses in our past, the viruses in our future C. J. Peters; 2. Dynamics and epidemiological impact of microparasites B. T. Grenfell; 3. The continuing threat of bunyaviruses and hantaviruses R. M. Elliott; 4. Calicivirus, myxoma virus and the wild rabbit in Australia: a tale of three invasions B. J. Richardson; 5. Potential of influenza A viruses to cause pandemics A. J. Hay; 6. The hepatitis viruses as emerging agents of infectious diseases S. M. Lemon; 7. The emergence of human immunodeficiency viruses and AIDS R. A. Weiss and H. A. Weiss; 8. Morbilliviruses: dangers old and new T. Barrett; 9. Structure-function analysis of prion protein C. Weissmann, D. Shmerling, D. Rossi, A. Cozzio, I. Hegyi, M. Fischer, R. Leimeroth and E. Flechsig; 10. Endogenous retroviruses and xenotransplantation J. P. Stoye; 11. Gammaherpesviral infections and neoplasia in immunocompromised populations C. Boshoff; 12. Structure and function of the proteins of Marburg and Ebola viruses H.-D. Klenk, H. Feldmann, V. E. Volchkov, V. A. Volchkova and W. Weissenhorn; 13. Epidemic dengue/dengue haemorrhagic fever as a public health problem 1st century D. J. Gubler; 14. Borna disease virus - a threat for human mental health? L. Bode and H. Ludwig; 15. Antiviral drug development and the impact of drug resistance G. Darby; Index.