Dickson D. Despommier - Böcker

Dickson D. Despommier's vivid, visceral account of the biology, behavior, and history of parasites follows the interplay between these fascinating life forms and human society over thousands of years. Despommier focuses on long-term host-parasite associations, which have evolved to avoid or even subvert the human immune system. Some parasites do great damage to their hosts, while others have signed a kind of "peace treaty" in exchange for their long lives within them. Many parasites also practice clever survival strategies that medical scientists hope to mimic as they search for treatments for Crohn's disease, food allergies, type 1 diabetes, organ transplantation, and other medical challenges. Despommier concentrates on particularly remarkable and often highly pathogenic organisms, describing their lifecycles and the mechanisms they use to avoid elimination. He details their attack and survival plans and the nature of the illnesses they cause in general terms, enabling readers of all backgrounds to steal a glimpse into the secret work of such effective invaders.He also points to the cultural contexts in which these parasites thrive and reviews the current treatments available to defeat them. Encouraging scientists to continue to study these organisms even if their threat is largely contained, Despommier shows how closer dissection of the substances parasites produce to alter our response to them could help unravel some of our most complex medical conundrums.

Dickson D. Despommier's vivid, visceral account of the biology, behavior, and history of parasites follows the interplay between these fascinating life forms and human society over thousands of years. Despommier focuses on long-term host-parasite associations, which have evolved to avoid or even subvert the human immune system. Some parasites do great damage to their hosts, while others have signed a kind of "peace treaty" in exchange for their long lives within them. Many parasites also practice clever survival strategies that medical scientists hope to mimic as they search for treatments for Crohn's disease, food allergies, type 1 diabetes, organ transplantation, and other medical challenges. Despommier concentrates on particularly remarkable and often highly pathogenic organisms, describing their lifecycles and the mechanisms they use to avoid elimination. He details their attack and survival plans and the nature of the illnesses they cause in general terms, enabling readers of all backgrounds to steal a glimpse into the secret work of such effective invaders.He also points to the cultural contexts in which these parasites thrive and reviews the current treatments available to defeat them. Encouraging scientists to continue to study these organisms even if their threat is largely contained, Despommier shows how closer dissection of the substances parasites produce to alter our response to them could help unravel some of our most complex medical conundrums.

Edited by F.E.G. Cox, Derek Wakelin, Stephen H. Gillespie and Dickson D. Despommier. Parasitic infections present a major challenge to the health and well being of several billions of people across the world. Political unrest, natural disasters, the migrations of huge populations and the spread of HIV infections have added to already serious problems by increasing global parasite burdens. Increasingly it is becoming clear that interactions between parasites and other infectious agents can aggravate disease. Against this backdrop, progress is being made in the containment of many parasitic infections and there is optimism that some of the diseases that have plagued humans for centuries may be eradicated. Hopes for the future revolve around the application of modern molecular, genetic and immunological science, linked to the systematic use of evidence-based control methods. All these themes and more run through the chapters in this volume. Parasitology has been thoroughly revised and updated for the tenth edition of Topley & Wilson’s Microbiology and Microbial Infections to include all newly identified parasites and emerging diseases. Through discussion of the general aspects of parasitology and detailed reviews of specific organisms (grouped under protozoa and helminths) the volume provides an authoritative survey of current knowledge of parasitic organisms and the human diseases to which they give rise, what their effects are and ways in which they can be controlled, not only now, but also in the future. The comprehensive coverage includes the basic science that underlies disease transmission and progression, the classification and identification of the organisms concerned, and the epidemiology and treatment of the diseases caused. Parasitology is an invaluable companion for infectious disease specialists, pathologists, parasitologists and all others working in this increasingly important field.

Worldwide, the numbers of people suffering and dying from parasitic diseases are overwhelming, with more than 100 million cases and 1 million deaths each year from malaria alone. Despite the magnitude of the problem and the importance of the parasites that cause opportunistic infections among persons with HIV/AIDS, medical schools in the United States, Canada, and other developed countries consistently reduce the amount of time spent on parasitic diseases in the curricu­ lum. As a result most medical students receive limited information about these diseases, and are inadequately prepared to diagnose or treat them as physicians. This problem is too large to be resolved within the time available for parasitology in the medical school curriculum; at most, students can be acquainted with the salient features of the medically important parasites. Likewise, the traditional isolation of parasitology from the rest of the curriculum (consistent with its exclu­ sion from most microbiology texts) is another unresolved problem. In my opinion, this is why most physicians are unable to think about the differential diagnosis of parasitic diseases in the same way that they routinely balance the probabilities of malignancy, cardiovascular, renal, and pulmonary disease vs other infectious diseases. To resolve these problems, relevant paradigms from parasitology must be used in the teaching of cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, and immu­ nology.

In a unique, visual approach to the depiction of parasite life cycles, this detailed atlas presents a clear, concise, and complete overview of the parasite/human host interrelationship. 75 life cycles include all the major protozoan and helminth pathogens of man with new and updated information on several organisms. The illustrations follow the route of infection from point of entry, through the developmental stages, to completion of the cycle as the parasite reinfects the next host. Precise biological anatomical and medical depiction provides reinforcement. Distinguished by its organization, continuity, and accuracy, this comprehensive work will be a valuable reference for students, clinicians and others interested in the field of parasitology.