Medical Entomology: A Textbook on Public Health and Veterinary Problems Caused by Arthropods

LEADING PROFESSIONALS IN THE Þeld of medical entomology in the United States are gathered together in this comprehensive work edited by two renowned experts and emeritus professors of the Þeld, Bruce F. Eldridge and John D. Edman. This textbook begins by introducing the reader to the role of arthropods in human and animal health and by giving a brief history of the Þeld from the beginning of the modern era of medical entomology (pioneered by Sir Patrick Manson) to contemporary issues such as global warming and deforestation. From the Þrst chapter the reader is made aware of the exciting possibilities that exist for students who may enter the Þeld (a much-overlooked approach in textbooks dealing with this topic). The authors point out the education and employment opportunities that exist for scientists interested in medical entomology as well as the broad scope of a Þeld that bridges others such as ecology, systematics, genetics, behavior, evolution, physiology, parasitology, toxicology, biological control and molecular biology. William S. Romoser, a well-known mosquito physiologist, makes an outstanding contribution by covering many of these multidisciplinary topics with two chapters that describe the structure, function and development of arthropods and arthropod systematics, behavior and ecology. Chapter 2 is a general introduction to the anatomy and physiology of arthropods that is typical of most general entomology textbooks (including the authorÕs The Science of Entomology, another good reference) but with an emphasis on arthropods of medical importance. Some of the arthropods covered in the systematics discussions of Chapter 3 include chewing and sucking lice, kissing bugs and bed bugs, ßeas, biting ßies (i.e. mosquitoes, sandßies, black ßies, tse tse ßies, andhorse ßies), blow ßies, cockroaches, wasps, bees, caterpillars, spiders, scorpions, ticks, and mites. This introduction serves as an excellent backdrop for discussions on arthropod behavior and ecology. Chapter 4 considers direct injury caused by arthropods. This chapter is very complete and contains the more interesting black and white pictures in the book. The topic lends itself to graphic depictions of injuries caused by chigger ßea, scabies mite, and bot ßy infestations as well as blisters by Þre ants and lesions from the bite of the brown recluse. Chapter 5 introduces basic terminology used in medical entomology such as the various routes by which an arthropod is involved in transmitting pathogens, the barriers to transmission and the kinds of pathogens that can be transmitted. Chapter 6 introduces terminology used in epidemiology in relation to arthropod-borne pathogens (i.e., vector competence and vectorial capacity) along with examples of modern approaches to vector-borne epidemiology such as landscape epidemiology, diseases surveillance, molecular epidemiology and simulation modeling. Thenext 8 chapters (thatmake up a goodhalf of the book) describe in extensive detail the various diseases caused by the pathogens that are transmitted by arthropods. These diseases include the following: malaria, leishmania, trypanosoiasis, Þlariasis, bacterial, and rickettsial diseases, and arthopod-borne viruses. In general, each disease is treated in a logical manner: description of the pathogen, distribution and importance, the life cycle and vectors, epidemiology, treatment, and prevention and control. The last quarter of the book is dedicated to the applied branch of the Þeld, e.g., disease surveillance, prevention and vector control. These chapters are very up-to-date, describing the technology currently in use for various arthropod-borne diseases. In the preface the editors clearly state their intention in assembling this book and the niche they intended this book to Þll in the literature of medical entomology. The intended audience is advanced undergraduates and graduate students in the Þeld. The emphasis of the book is to inform the reader of the current knowledge of the epidemiology and ecology of arthropod-borne diseases of public health and veterinary importance. There are other text or reference books that deal with many of the topics discussed in Eldridge and EdmanÕs Medical Entomology. Among these are McClellandÕs Medical Entomology, KettleÕs Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Lane and CrosskeyÕs Medical Insects and Arachnids, Marquardt, Demaree, and GrieveÕs Parasitology and Vector Biology, and ServiceÕs Medical Entomology for Students. However, this reviewer Þnds Eldridge and EdmanÕs Medical Entomology the most attractive for students in terms of price, quality of publication, organization and writing style, and the powerful assemblage of authors (most of the current authorities in the Þeld of medical entomology in the United States). Other textbooks have their strengths and target audiences. For advanced students, this is the most complete book currently available.