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This interesting book is dominated by Japanese and French contributors, but maintains an excellent standard in English usage, with the occasional unusual phrasing somehow adding to its readability. The LAB are principally represented by Lactobacillus spp., but this is justified by the book's focus on health-related matters. However, there are interesting contributions on metabolism; I was surprised to learn how significant the chemiosmotic energy production from decarboxylation of amino acids and subsequent expulsion of the resulting amines from the cell can be. Given the increasing interest in polylactic plastics, the chapter reviewing their production is particularly valuable. The part played by specific human milk oligosaccharides in promoting bifidobacterial growth in the neonate gastric tract and practical production of the compounds as supplements for formula milks is very interesting. A chapter on the regulatory framework for health claims concerning probiotic supplements in Japan and Europe is very timely. Reviews of responses to oxygen and oxidative stress in LAB and bifidobacteria show that this is a more complex matter than may be immediately apparent, as does one on responses to bile acids. The other topics in this compact and excellent book are equally worth studying, and only the price will deter workers in the relevant fields from adding it to their bookshelves.

A note about the Publisher. I wrote my first review for this publication of one of this publisher?s books a couple of years ago. They have an interesting and unusual selection of titles, but their clear emphasis on advanced research and relevance (albeit to small and select audiences) is most encouraging, especially so relatively soon after the publishing ?meltdown? that resulted in the loss of distinguished names such as Chapman & Hall, Blackie, etc., and the more recent takeover of Blackwell by the American company Wiley. While science publishing must be international in scope, retaining a British/European presence is healthy and probably essential for a varied marketplace catering beyond the US.

Many years ago I visited the Royal Naval Medical School in Hampshire. Staff were playing croquet and pink gins were offered. Kevin Brown's book captures the flavour of these relatively recent, more expansive and expensive times, as well as that of the long-distant past. His history starts with the Black Death and moves to syphilis, but primarily has a strong naval focus - making extensive use of Royal Navy records in an authoritative account of maritime medicine and diseases spread by sea. Infections either dominate or lurk just under the surface. After all, amputations during naval battles were often done in an attempt to reduce the risk of death from gangrene. The book brings this to life very well, with its lurid account of the surgery and the knives and saws, as well as covering quarantine and the great pandemics of the past.

Well-referenced, and well-written, this account is a good read as well as a useful source of in-depth information. I was particularly pleased to see the Court of the Baillies of Aberdeen minute for 24 April 1497 that 'licht weman' (prostitutes) should desist 'under the pain of a brandàon their cheeks' was quoted. The stimulus for this measure - 'to control infirmities come out of France and strange parts' - didn't get mentioned. Perhaps the author was being diplomatic.

Whilst there are many 'popular science' books out there, purporting to discuss evolutionary biology from various angles and depths, few really tackle the issues from a novel perspective. As a microbiologist, I also find that the existing books skip through the seminal works of microbiology which have given us detailed insight into the evolutionary process and defined so many of the mechanisms to which Darwin eluded. When a microbiologist of the standing of Jim Shapiro writes a text to explore these issues, then one should really sit up and take note. This book attempts to look, not at selection as the critical point in evolution, but innovation. Shapiro opens the book with the argument that without innovation, then selection has nothing to act on. He goes on to work through this issue, with a concise argument, often with the insight that can only be delivered with first-hand knowledge of carrying out this kind of research.

The book is well structured and draws heavily on microbiology throughout. It is in four main sections, the first looking at evolution of signalling and how this is central to responding to changes. The second chapter discusses the genome as a read-write storage system, discussing the roles that nucleic acids, heritability and epigenetics play in information transmission between generations. The third chapter covers the discoveries of molecular biology and how these have influenced our modern outlook on evolution, and the final main chapter looks at the 21st century view of evolution, the outstanding questions, and the role systems and synthetic biology will play in this. The book is rounded up with an extensive glossary and appendices to increase the accessibility of the book.

A very readable text, which is well referenced to allow extra detail to be sought. Whilst I feel that a non-professional reader may find some of the concepts too detailed (as the author eludes, directing non-professionals to sources of information), the text will make an ideal introduction for undergraduate students, covering all the salient issues as well as being thoroughly up to date. An enjoyable, highly recommended read.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been widely adopted to enable the study of uncultured target cells. This book shows many more applications in cytology. Relatively few chapters are devoted directly to microbiological applications; the strong theme of the book describes methods targeting chromosomes. While reading individual protocols in isolation did not inspire me greatly, picking out novel ideas across the whole book soon showed there are many developments yet to be applied directly in microbiology. Some strategies as yet untested for bacterial cells are presented. Protocols on 3-D FISH may have useful material for microbiologists, e.g. studies on biofilms. The use of FISH inside living cells also raises some interesting ideas. Several other approaches (nuclease-resistant probes, quantum dots, multiplex FISH) not as yet widely applied in microbiology are included. As the ideas for new research areas required browsing the whole book, I would suggest this is for microbiological libraries rather than for microbiological laboratories.

Geomicrobiology is an important area of growing appreciation within microbiology and Earth sciences. This book should not be confused with other similarly titled seminal texts (notably Ehrlich & Newman, and Konhauser) and is a small collection of nine authored chapters in disparate areas under a rather loose geomicrobiology theme. The topics range from geomicrobiology of caves and the deep sea, mineral bioleaching, petroleum biotechnology and bio/geomarkers to biodeterioration of archaeological monuments. One chapter (but redolent of a research paper) on Spirulina biotechnology appears almost irrelevant to a geomicrobiology theme, concentrating on metal biosorption. Overall, the chapters are clearly written and well illustrated, and the book may be of some interest and use to specific researchers and teachers in the field. However, it cannot be considered a ?major reference text? in view of the other wide-ranging authoritative works already available, the highly selective subject matter and omission of many important areas under the geomicrobiology banner.

This textbook aims to define the study of host-parasite interactions from a holistic viewpoint, whilst also acknowledging the complexity of the subject. It is written for final-year undergraduates and graduate students but will interest a much wider audience. Over 14 chapters it describes some basic concepts in host-parasite evolutionary theory, including the different classes of parasites, the diversity of parasite life-cycles and the evolution of parasitism. There is an extensive discussion of host defence mechanisms and their evasion, the pathogenic consequences of infection, the genetics of host resistance, and the evolutionary genetics of host-parasite interactions. Finally, the text deals with epidemiology, parasite virulence, host-parasite co-evolution and parasites in the context of host ecology. In my opinion, this is a textbook for a new generation of microbiologists. I believe it achieves its stated goal of ?an integrated view of host-parasite biology? and, although relatively expensive, copies should be purchased for the library.

Making proteins is big business and much research has gone into developing efficient recombinant expression hosts. Escherichia coli is the choice organism for many biologists as it is cheap to grow and easy to manipulate genetically. However, limited solubility and the lack of post-translational modifications such as N-glycosylation have limited its use for expression of high-value human proteins. In this book, one of the Methods in Molecular Biology series, the editors bring together a diverse set of methods and examples demonstrating that, in fact, there is still plenty of active and exiting research pushing back some of the aforementioned limitations of E. coli.

The book contains one general review chapter that summarizes recent advances, but the other chapters focus on particular methods/approaches and come with detailed notes to supplement the protocols - this is what I think sets these books apart as you would never get these important details from the Methods section of a normal journal article. The 18 chapters outline methods to increase solubility, using protein fusions or chaperone-based approaches, novel methods for tagging and mutagenizing the expressed proteins and a clever approach to codon optimization called harmonization. A number of the chapters are specifically about expressing certain types of eukaryotic protein, including one on integral membrane transporter proteins.

While there is still no one-suits-all expression host, the continued advances being made in E. coli are bringing it closer to being a universal host, but there are still big challenges to overcome in engineering its glycobiology before it can really make that claim. If recombinant protein expression is an important part of your research programme, either in an academic or industrial setting, then this book is worth a read - it could save you a fortune!

Cancer immunotherapy is a vast area of research and it is covered in some depth by this very informative book. Each of the 19 chapters consists of a quick introduction to the specific area of interest of one of the contributors followed by in-depth analysis of experimental techniques currently being used successfully, or otherwise, in the field. The power of the techniques being employed, but also crucially their shortcomings, is discussed in great depth. Suggestions and insights as to how these problems are currently being overcome keep this book relevant with unique insights from the numerous experts involved. The most interesting aspects of this book, however, are often the conclusions that are laid out, in particular the often-reached conclusion that a combination of immunotherapies may eventually be the key to success. Overall, an enlightening book that covers a variety of immunotherapy techniques, but the book is directed specifically at those interested in cancer treatment.

This is not a book you would generally read cover to cover - not unless that is you had already read the telephone directory and still failed to drop off.

In its 23 chapters it covers most, but not all viruses of interest to the diagnostic virologist. Each chapter is written by an authority in the field and is composed of a short introduction followed by a number of protocols. These are sufficiently detailed to allow the reader to set up the assays in their own lab. If this were a cook book, I would say at this stage that I had tested out each individual recipe and found them complete, easy to follow and probably delicious. However, this is not, and so I haven't.

Most chapters address a virus type, but vary such that in some the introduction is very informative whilst in others it is merely a lead into the protocols. However, this could simply reflect the interests and ignorance of this particular reader.

My main worry though is the limitations of the book itself. It only takes a single paper on a new method, strain or mutation to render any of the methods obsolete.

It therefore questions the lifespan of this genre of book and who would use it in preference to primary sources. Perhaps an online version with the authors checking for developments on perhaps a monthly basis is the way forward - although I am not sure the authors would be too willing to volunteer for such an onerous responsibility.

Live attenuated vaccines have had a phenomenal impact on human and animal health. Countless millions of individuals, who would otherwise have succumbed to a diversity of life-threatening diseases, are alive because of their use. Historically, these complex biopharmaceuticals have been empirically derived, based on the ?isolate, attenuate and vaccinate? paradigm. Part I of this book introduces the current thinking on rational attenuation and this important theme runs through the book, tying the chapters together very nicely. The chapter describing Classical live viral vaccines succinctly sets the historical perspective and does not baulk from describing some of the problems associated with live attenuated vaccines. Indeed, challenges such as the genetic instability of RNA viruses, as exemplified by the comprehensive flavivirus and alphavirus chapter, or reactogenicity in immunized volunteers, systematically covered in the section on Vibrio cholerae, have driven innovative approaches. On the whole there is a reasonable balance between bacterial and viral, licensed and developmental, and standard and vectored replicating vaccines, although there is somewhat of a distinct bias towards human diseases. Highlighting the success of the rinderpest eradication programme and the challenges associated with the poliovirus ?end-game? might have been useful additions. Inclusion of chapters focusing on pathogens which have proven very challenging to attenuate safely, such as human respiratory syncytial virus and herpes simplex virus, illustrates how basic science underpins the development of novel vaccines. Given the renaissance in vaccinology this is a timely volume which, although not comprehensive, makes judicious use of selected examples to highlight key aspects of this burgeoning field. This book is both a useful primer for students and a thought-provoking read for researchers in this field.

This latest instalment of the new Bergey's adds to an encyclopaedic repository that provides an invaluable resource for all microbiologists, regardless of their areas of interest. Volume 4 is actually the 6th book in this multi-part opus, which overall represents a compendium of ?all you ever needed to know about Bacteria?. Like its predecessors, it is a monumental achievement; the breadth and depth of the contributions by 140 authors provides the most authoritative single source of systematic information in an exemplary distillation of knowledge of these 12 phyla. While the deadline for contributions was in 2006, the work is as up-to-date as is feasible, since many chapters have been supplemented with literature citations up to 2010; the introductory 19-page Road map and the Taxonomic outline contain many 2006-2010 publications, and include numerous post-2006 genera. With its introductory material and indices, this volume approaches 1,000 pages, the quality of the content of which is consistently remarkably high throughout, with relatively few trivial errors, and is illustrated with numerous phylogenetic trees and photographs. The editors and authors have also been able to update information relevant to volume 1 of the series, which is an additional benefit of this volume. The vast increase in information and methodology in microbial systematics has seen the replacement of the single volume Bergey?s of 1923-1994 with this series of huge volumes, but this and the previous volumes should be available to all microbiology practitioners whether clinical, diagnostic, environmental or biotechnological, and in libraries for general consultation. Both the size and ever-increasing database of information surely means that future editions of Bergey's will need to be electronic, with the benefits of instant update and availability, although the disappearance of printed reference volumes like this for browsing will be an aesthetic loss.

The exquisite efficiency with which viruses infect cells and the ability to engineer viral genomes has led to the exploitation of viruses to manipulate cells for a variety of purposes, including the treatment of disease. A large number of articles have been written that describe the pros and cons of each virus group, but these rarely describe the practical details. As the subtitle indicates, this book focuses on the methodologies used for the development and application of viruses in the delivery of potential therapeutic genes. It is unfortunate that the applications described in the introductory chapter on gene therapy do not include cancer, as there are a large number of transgene-carrying viruses that have been designed with cancer treatment in mind. Furthermore, there are some key exceptions in the list of viruses described in the book, namely poxviruses and alphaviruses. Despite a number of different virus groups being used in gene transfer, there isn't a great deal of choice for particular therapeutic applications, so it is possible that researchers would have already decided on the most appropriate vector for their purpose. Thus, researchers may not have to consult more than only a few chapters of this book. Even though this book presents methods in considerably greater detail than journal articles can, it is probable that researchers will still have to consult protocols from experienced workers in the field. How useful this book will prove to be is therefore, unclear. One thing is for sure, the price will restrict its purchase to organizations.

Although the biology of the nitrogen cycle (N cycle) has been studied for over a century, we are continually making new discoveries in terms of finding novel organisms performing long-studied transformations, as well as new organisms performing completely novel processes. This book is an excellent overview of the current knowledge of the molecular biology and biochemistry for these many different stages, from fixation of molecular nitrogen, oxidation of the most reduced forms to nitrate and both classical and newly discovered mechanisms of returning oxidized nitrogen back to its elemental form.

In some ways this book could be considered an update of the excellent 2006 book Biology of Nitrogen Cycle edited by Bothe, Ferguson & Newton. While obviously covering the same subject, the current book lacks the strong ecological component of that book and focuses more specifically on biochemistry and the individual cell (as described by its subtitle). The scope of the book is nicely balanced. Although perhaps reflecting my own research bias, upon initial examination of the chapter titles I was surprised to see that there were no chapters specifically dedicated to the molecular biology of aerobic nitrification (either ammonia or nitrite oxidation). However, upon reading the book there were significant amounts of detailed text covering this particular process in several chapters. In fact, I discovered that this was a reflection of how many of the chapters are structured, making this book distinct from many other texts on the N cycle. To some extent, the book avoids the standard 'fixation-mineralization-nitrification-denitrification' arrangement, but very refreshingly, describes aspects relevant to all of the classical stages of the N cycle in several individual chapters. For example, the first chapter, Nitrogen cycle of the Archaean by van Lis et al., is a fascinating study into the molecular phylogeny of extant proteins involved in the N cycle and how these can inform on the potential complement of enzymes that were responsible for the primordial and presumably simpler N cycle. Redox complexes of the nitrogen cycle by David Richardson also provides a holistic approach in covering protein complexes involved in the many transformative stages. Another highlight is Beyond denitrification by Marc Strous, which covers two of the most important discoveries in N-cycling of the last decade: anaerobic ammonia oxidation ('anammox') and denitrification coupled to methanotrophy. The organisms responsible for the latter process are in fact a very recent discovery and can produce oxygen by dismutation of nitrate under anaerobic conditions. This process may have had profound evolutionary consequences for the development of oxygen-dependent processes on an anoxic planet. Although this is primarily a book on biochemistry, it is relevant to all of us studying some aspect of the N cycle and is strongly recommended as a core reference that should be owned by every research group working in this area.

Metagenomics is a powerful tool that enables genomic analysis of an entire community of micro-organisms. Its advent heralds a new and exciting era in microbial genetic research. This book provides a sound introduction to metagenomics, followed by 14 chapters that highlight its application in studying the functions, ecology and diversity of both culturable and non-culturable micro-organisms in a given environment. Each chapter opens with a succinct abstract on the current advances and concludes with a section on future development - two features I found particularly helpful as metagenomics has broad applications and not all areas are familiar to me. A number of chapters also provide a list of useful URLs for readers who wish to explore the subject further. This is definitely a valuable reference book for scientists who intend to apply metagenomics in their research. It is written in uncompromising, academic language which may deter casual readers, and the price tag of £159 is best suited to institution purchase.

Opening this book for the first time, what struck me was the emphasis on applied virology; vaccination, antivirals, vectors and diagnostics occupy 50% of the main text which is more than I expected from the title. The fundamentals are covered only in overview, leading to some questionable generalizations, but the virus family summaries in the appendix are very helpful. I also found several errors that could mislead the unwary, such as a dsRNA intermediate in reverse transcription and a logarithmic phase in the viral growth curve. The sections on applied virology are wide-ranging with plenty of interesting detail. The chapter on virus emergence and extinction which comes late on in the book seems out of place; logically it should appear earlier. And I wonder whether the target audience will feel they need the lengthy catalogue of antiviral compounds complete with structures. All in all, this book will perhaps suit those teaching at the applied end of virology, but I don't think it would support very well those learning about virus replication and disease processes.