Carlos Lopez - Böcker

'You damn sadist/said mr cummings 'you try to make people think. ' -Ezra Pound (Canto 89) What makes herpesviruses unique? It is certainly not the size of their genomes or the individual features of their reproductive cycle, although in toto striking features that are exclusive to the herpesviruses abound. Unquestionably, the pre-eminent feature is the relationship of herpes­ viruses with their natural hosts. As described in preceding volumes, all herpesviruses seem to be able to colonize and to remain in a latent, nonproductive form for life of their hosts. Once established in the host, the relationship is best described as that of an armed truce. What happens when this truce breaks down or when the host encounters the virus for the first time is the subject of this volume. We have focused primarily on the five human herpesviruses [herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-l), herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), cytomegalovirus (CMV), varicella zoster virus (VZV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)] because much more is known about them than about any other herpesviruses, and because it is of interest to compare both the diversity of manifestations of infections with human herpesviruses and the spectrum of human responses to these viruses. This volume summarizes the current knowledge of the pathogenesis and immunobiology of herpesvirus infections in man and describes new and developing approaches to prophylaxis and treatment. It contains con­ tributions from distinguished research scientists presently engaged at the forefront of these scientific investigations.

No one whose opinion deserves a moment's consideration can doubt that most of the great positive evils of the world are in themselves removable, and will, if human affairs continue to improve, be in the end reduced to narrow limits. J. S. Mill, Utilitarianism, II, 1863 Mill was not writing about herpesviruses, but had he known them as we do, he would have included them among the great positive evils of the world. They cause disease and premature death, and are very costly to our society. There is no loftier aim than to cure or prevent human infections with these viruses. The objective of much of the current research on herpesviruses is directed toward an understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in initiation of infection, establish­ ment and termination of latent state, virus multiplication, and the destruction of cells which ultimately is the basis of the diseases caused by these viruses. At no time during the past 80 years, since members of the herpesvirus family were first discovered, has there been so much progress in our understanding of the biology of these viruses as in the past few years. Along with the development of a greater understanding of the molecular biol­ ogy of the well-known herpesviruses we have witnessed the isolation of new human herpes­ viruses.