LIVROS — BOOK REVIEWS

CYTOPATHOLOGY OF PARASITIC DISEASE. Ciba Foundation Symposium 99. London, Pitman Books, 1983. 273p. ilus. ISBN 0 272 79731 6

The key to understanding how parasites cause disease lies in discovering how they interact with the cells of their hosts. This Symposium held in Caracas, Venezuela, brings together clinical and basic researches from South, Central and North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East to discuss in detail how parasites attach to and invade host cells. The metabolic, pathological and immunochemical consequences of these processes are considered for individuals cells (e.g. phagocytes and fibroblasts), tissues (e.g. the autonomic nervous system), and organs (e.g. the heart and the liver). Examples are drawn form a number of major parasitic diseases, including regional variants of trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, amoebiasis, schistosomiasis, and theileriasis in African cattle. Problems of interpretation are mentioned in relation to the experimental study of different animal models and different species, strains and stages of the parasites.

STEELE, J. H., Editor-in-chief — CRC Handbook Series in Zoonoses. Section C: Parasitic zoonoses. Boca Raton, Florida, CRC Press, 1982 3v ilus ISBN 0-8493-2915-9 (Section C)

The Handbook Series in Zoonoses, Section C: Parasitic zoonoses, comprises 3 volumes dealing very throughly on all animal zoonosis eventually transmited to man. Volume I (Editors: Leon Jacobs and Primo Arambulo III), deals with protozoan and cestode zoonoses; volume II (Editor: Myron G. Schultz), deals with nematode zoonoses and volume III (Editors: George V. Hillyer and Cluff E. Hopla) deals with trematode and arthropod zoonoses. Several medical institutions have collaborated in this work. The consultants have all given generously of their experience and knowledge.

Their contributions exceed the usual and made the series that much better. References are given at the end of each section. To Brazilians, the section on Chagas' Disease is particularly important with many Brazilian authors listed. The section on Legionella pneumophila is very interesting since it deals with an ubiquitous bacterial agent. Its presence in animals other than man has yet to be proven, the diseases apparently being transmited by inhalation of pathogen containing aerosols. This is a very comprehensive treatise which will become a classic in medical literature.

BROWN, W. Jann & VOGE, Marietta — Neuropathology of Parasitic Infections. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1982. 240p. ilus. ISBN 0-19-261246-8

W. Jann Brown & Marietta Voge, from UCLA — Los Angeles School of Medicine have studied the protozoa and helminth parasitoses that affect the nervous system and the eye. The book is primarily intended as an aid to the practicing neurologist, neurosurgeon, ophtalmologist and pathologist, as well as to advanced students training in these fields. The book will find wide acceptance because its contents covers subjects of great interest in Tropical Medicine, such as: Amoebiasis, including freeliving amoebae isolated from spinal fluid which cause meningoencephalitis in immuno defficient patients; Toxoplasmosis, both acquired and congenital; Malaria; African and South Ame- rican Trypanosomiasis; Schistosomiasis, dealing mainly with the granulomatous lesions caused by S. mansoni: calcified brain lesions caused by Paragonimus westermani; brain cysticercosis, which was object of detailed attention by the authors. There are also sections on hydatic disease and other tapeworm infections; eosinophilic meningoencephalitis (etiological agent — Angiostrongylus cantonensis). Onchocerciasis and loiasis, as well as other filariasis are also discussed in this excellent book which has visceral larva migrans, trichinosis and myiasis as its last section. This book is a must for all Neurology physicians.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  08 Apr 2013
• Date of issue
  Aug 1984