Biology of Disease Vectors [Hardcover]

"I believe the target audience of graduate students, postdocs, and independent researchers has been accurately identified and that this book serves as a comprehensive and authoritative reference for disease vector biologists." -Donald R. Barnard, PhD, in JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION "...this book is an indispensible reference and a wonderful treasure trove of information about medical entomology...The chief editor, section editors, and authors are to be congratulated on this scholarly work." -Jerome Goddard, Mississippi Department of Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center "...an advanced reference for teaching graduate or postdoctoral students in entomology, and, in fact, it is hard to imagine a comprehensive course in medical entomology being taught today without using this fine new text." -Sam R. Telford, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, in BOOK REVIEWS "This second edition will become a standard in the field and complements the other medical entomology books currently available... The expanded content, reorganization, and updates in this edition make this a welcome replacement for the first edition." - Doody Enterprises, Inc., 2005 "This has always been a must-have volume on my shelves. It is an indispensable reference not only for medical entomologists, but for all those concerned with disease transmission, epidemiology, ecology, and with the interactions between arthropod vectors and infectious agents. Individual chapters, arranged in logical sections, are superbly written and illustrated. The book provides a detailed conceptual framework for the study of disease emergence, arthropod physiology, genetics of vector competence, and the molecular biology of gene expression. A remarkably useful section is also provided on methods for experimental manipulation of insects and ticks. As the field is moving rapidly, this Second Edition is most welcome!" - Thomas P. Monath, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Acambis, and Adjunct Professor, Harvard School of Public Health From my first experience in the world of the arboviruses I was struck by the complexity, the mystery, the diverse public health threats represented by so many specific vector - host - virus interactions. Imagine, an infection in a mosquito yielding tremendous amounts of virus but no obvious harm to the vector. Imagine, the same infection in a human ending in the most damaging encephalitis possible. Imagine, important vectors from virtually every taxonomic niche of the phylum Arthropoda. Imagine, important vector-borne infectious agents from virtually every taxonomic niche of the microorganisms, parasites and viruses. Imagine, 100+ years of vector control efforts and the reality that the vector-borne diseases are thriving, in too many instances causing more disease then ever. So, as I consider the next battles in the war against the vector-borne diseases, I find this second edition of the book, Biology of Disease Vectors, by Bill Marquardt and colleagues, fitting into my library in a most important way. Clearly, it is the vectors that deserve our attention (we have made grand progress on the infectious agents themselves and the diseases they cause), and this book provides an excellent updating on the state of our knowledge as we set out to prevent and control the vector-borne diseases. The progress in the field since the publication of the first edition suggests that we might be gaining ground - I hope so..." - Frederick A. Murphy, University of California, Davis "The first edition of this book was put together ten years ago by Barry Beaty and Bill Marquardt, and served well the renowned "Biology of Disease Vectors Course" given yearly at Colorado State University and abroad. That course and its alumni have done much to revolutionise this exciting field in the interim. "The completely re-written second edition will be a great help to this ongoing revolution. Its scope is broad and its coverage thorough. It introduces beautifully the insect and acarine vectors to undergraduate and graduate students, but will also be invaluable for both those entering the field and for scientists already working in it. The book is a unique resource that deals with all the key approaches to understand and control vectors: their basic biology, epidemiology, physiology, genetics and molecular biology. It also provides introductions to the methods of laboratory management and field control. Congratulations!" - Fotis C. Kafatos, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany "This volume should be extremely useful for faculty and graduate students interested in tropical medical entomology. It encompasses all elements of the field including epidemiology, ecology, systematics, genomics and bioinformatics and provides an outsanding and current look at this rapidly advancing field." - Diane McMahon-Pratt, Yale University School of Medicine "The style is light, but informative, and both attracts and keeps the reader's attention whilst encouraging further study via the recommended reading lists...good value for money and I recommend it highly to new investigators and old hands alike." -Hilary Hurd, Keele University, for Parasitology

"Biology of Disease Vectors" presents a comprehensive and advanced discussion of disease vectors and what the future may hold for their control. This edition examines the control of disease vectors through topics such as general biological requirements of vectors, epidemiology, physiology and molecular biology, genetics, principles of control and insecticide resistance. Methods of maintaining vectors in the laboratory are also described in detail. No other single volume includes both basic information on vectors, as well as chapters on cutting-edge topics, authored by the leading experts in the field. The first edition of "Biology of Disease Vectors" was a landmark text, and this edition promises to have even more impact as a reference for current thought and techniques in vector biology. It is current - each chapter represents the present state of knowledge in the subject area. It is authoritative - authors include leading researchers in the field. It is complete - provides both independent investigator and the student with a single reference volume which adopts an explicitly evolutionary viewpoint throuoghout all chapters. It is useful - conceptual frameworks for all subject areas include crucial information needed for application to difficult problems of controlling vector-borne diseases.