Download 1 To Catch a Virus John Booss and Marilyn J. August, ASM Press

To Catch a Virus
By John Booss and Marilyn J. August.
ASM Press, Washington, DC. 2013; 392 pp.
$39.95 (paperback). ISBN: 978-1-55581507-3.
The title of this book, To Catch a Virus,
refers to the capture and identification
of viruses. It is a history of diagnostic
virology inspired by Gueth-Djen (Edith)
Hsiung, with whom both of the authors
trained. John Booss, a retired neurologist,
gathered much of the information for
this book. Marilyn J. August, a retired clinical virologist and electron microscopist,
is a science writer.
The book is organized into 9 wellreferenced chapters, with an appendix
outlining the timelines. Most chapters
focus on a viral disease to provide some
perspective for the developments in virology and related fields. Intermingled with the
disease descriptions and technological advancements are numerous detailed personal histories of individuals whose research
and sacrifice paved the way to our current
knowledge of viruses. These personal accounts of success and failure, as well as interesting life details and connections, add
flavor to a story that is so full of factual
information.
Each chapter begins with a short
summary that some may find helpful, but
the pause in the narrative detracts from
the overall story. The interweaving of diseases, biographies, and scientific developments also produces some information
overlap and duplication. The book contains a substantial number of photographs
and illustrations that enhance the text.
The first chapter begins with an
account of the 1793 yellow fever outbreak
in Philadelphia. The leading physician of
the time, Benjamin Rush, believed that the
outbreak originated from noxious vapors
emitted from putrid coffee dumped on the
city docks. The descriptions of people
fleeing the city and the 40 000 deaths that
followed set the stage for the advancements in virology leading to the recogni-
1792
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CID 2013:57 (15 December)
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tion of yellow fever as the first disease
caused by a filterable virus. The rest of the
chapter is an overview of germ theory,
Koch’s postulates, and the beginnings of
virology. The chapter concludes with the
contributions of Walter Reed and the
Yellow Fever Commission. James Carroll,
who performed the filterable virus experiments, volunteered to be bitten by infected
mosquitoes. He became gravely ill but survived, only to die 7 years later of myocarditis attributed to yellow fever.
Chapter 2 centers around rabies, describing Pasteur’s experiments with the
disease, which led to postexposure vaccine
prophylaxis. It is noted his interest in
rabies stemmed from a childhood memory
of a rabid wolf attack on his village of
Arbois, France. The chapter expands to
other animal experiments with polio,
yellow fever, and influenza. Finally, the use
of embryonated chicken eggs for viral
growth is documented, with the highlight
being the use of eggs for influenza growth
by Sir MacFarlane Burnet.
Chapter 3 uses smallpox as a springboard for a discussion of the milestones
in the understanding of the immune
system. Included are Cotton Mather’s
variolation practice, which he learned
from his African slave, Onesimus. It was
first used successfully in the 1729–1730
smallpox outbreak in Boston and later to
inoculate the Continental Army by order
of George Washington. Edward Jenner’s
use of cowpox for vaccination eliminated
the risk of contracting smallpox from
vaccination, and his findings were published in 1798. The chapter concludes
with the development of various tests for
viral diagnosis.
Chapter 4 discusses viral inclusions,
such as Negri bodies, and follows the advances in microscope design and staining
techniques, culminating in the electron
microscope’s visual appreciation of viral
structure.
Chapter 5 covers the tissue culture
cytopathogenic effect, which led to the establishment of the first diagnostic virology
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laboratories. President Franklin Roosevelt’s
experience with polio and his personal role
in funding research is noted. Interestingly,
no diagnostic virological studies were ever
performed on FDR, leaving some to question his diagnosis.
Chapter 6 chronicles the use of tissue
culture to discover new viruses and the
expansion of viral diagnostic laboratories
and courses of study. Chapter 7 is devoted
to the further development of the electron
microscope and the techniques of fluorescent antibodies and radioimmunoassays.
Chapter 8 tells the story of the discovery
of the various types of viral hepatitis and
newer immunological methods.
The final chapter concerns human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the
pivotal role of molecular techniques in
diagnostic virology. Of Kary Mullis, the
developer of the polymerase chain reaction, the authors remark that the paper
documenting his discovery was rejected
by the journals Nature and Science.
In summary, the authors have chronicled the history of diagnostic virology
and how virologists have met the challenges of viral diseases, from smallpox to
HIV. The book will be enjoyed by anyone
with an interest in microbiology or infectious diseases, and all readers will learn
something new.
Note
Potential conflicts of interest. Author certifies
no potential conflicts of interest.
The author has submitted the ICMJE Form for
Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the
content of the manuscript have been disclosed.
H. Bradford Hawley
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal
Medicine, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright
State University, Dayton, Ohio
Clinical Infectious Diseases 2013;57(12):1792
© The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press
on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.
[email protected].
DOI: 10.1093/cid/cit633