book reviews
issue: biogeography
27 august 2013 article
essential guide to reading biomedical papers: recognising and interpreting best practice
edited by p.d. langton
published by wiley-blackwell (2012)
£24.99 pp. 350 isbn 978-1-11995-997-7
this is a new textbook aimed at presenting and analysing the results obtained from a variety of experiments relevant to biomedical science research. the book is organised into a series of short chapters each focussing on a specific technique, written by academics largely from the physiology and pharmacology branches of the biomedical sciences. each chapter seeks to introduce the technique and explain its applicability as well as outlining the major issues and considerations that can affect any subsequent analysis and data interpretation. the book would be of most benefit to new researchers or early-career scientists, although it would be beneficial to the more experienced scientist moving into a new discipline. one of the strengths of the book is that it covers a wide variety of topics, but this is also its weakness. each chapter provides only the most basic introduction to the techniques and can only address key issues in terms of generalities. the latter is understandable given the breadth of the biosciences and so, while the book provides a useful introduction, it may be best employed as a first reference text found in an institutional collection rather than as a comprehensive personal guide.
sue lang, glasgow caledonian university
the human microbiota: how microbial communities affect health and disease
edited by d.n. fredricks
published by wiley-blackwell (2013)
£86.95 pp. 389 isbn 978-0-47047-989-6
the human body harbours an entire community of micro-organisms. indeed, the numbers of micro-organisms are estimated to out-number our own cells by ten to one. micro-organisms inhabit our skin and the mucous membranes that constitute our alimentary, respiratory and urogenital tracts. our bodies get ‘contaminated’ with micro-organisms from the moment we are born and our microbiota changes with time and exposure to micro-organisms and other environmental factors. furthermore, it is becoming clear that our microbiota changes in cases of disease, although whether this is cause or effect isn’t easy to determine. this book reviews our understanding of the microbiota of different human anatomical sites and the technologies available for study, as well as the means of manipulating microbiota in an attempt to prevent and treat disease. considering the potential effects that bacteriophages can have on their bacterial hosts, namely disrupting the balance of particular species in complex populations by cell lysis or potential effects on survival and virulence by lysogenic conversion, i am surprised that this book doesn’t mention the role that phage may have on microbiota. in my opinion, the book would benefit from an introductory chapter giving a basic overview of microbiota at different sites, as well as an abstract at the beginning of each chapter. furthermore, i believe that a final summary chapter would have been beneficial in giving an overview of what is known, and what is not yet known on the subject. the book is well presented with many of the figures in colour. this undoubtedly contributes to the very high price of the book (£87), which is very likely to restrict purchase to institutions. having said that, i’m sure the book will be of interest to all those studying the effects of micro-organisms on the human body.
christopher ring, middlesex university
helicobacter species: methods and protocols
edited by j.m. houghton
published by humana press (2012)
£85.50 pp. 258 isbn 978-1-62703-004-5
this book should not be mistaken for a comprehensive compendium of lab methods representing universal best practice in all aspects of the study of these sometimes ‘difficult’ pathogens. it is, however, a very useful guide to the often challenging work involved in the use of cellular and whole-animal models of infection and infectious processes. the book begins with a few chapters on basic lab manipulation, including culture, storage and genetic manipulation. however, a functioning gene manipulation lab needs more expert input than a few short protocols! the culture sections are moderately useful but idiosyncratic. the order of chapters seems arbitrary here – a short review of the cag pathogenicity island is sandwiched between culture and genetics sections of the book, for little apparent reason. so, for those working on disease models and patho/immunobiology i recommend the book highly. for those aspiring to be experts in helicobacter molecular biology it will be a disappointment.
charles penn, university of birmingham
regulation of bacterial virulence
edited by m.l. vasil & a.j. darwin
published by american society for microbiology (2012)
us$199.95 pp. 620 isbn 978-1-55581-676-6
given the extraordinary breadth and pace of change within the field of bacterial virulence regulation, it would seem a challenge indeed to produce a text that adequately reflects the multitude of virulence strategies and underlying regulatory mechanisms that diverse pathogens employ to colonise and engage with their particular host niche. yet, commendably, the editors have done just that in this compendium of authoritative and expert reviews. arranged in six main sections which broadly define temporal stages in the host–pathogen interaction, review chapters nicely blend historical context with up-to-date contemporary detail, providing the reader with a strong appreciation of both progress in a particular area and the key outstanding research questions. reviews are accessibly written, comprehensively referenced and adequately, but not elaborately illustrated. the extent of themes covered in this book, including regulation of quorum sensing, adherence, colonisation, virulence protein production/secretion and regulatory responses to host molecules should draw attention from anyone with an interest in bacterial pathogenesis and infectious disease, from experienced researcher to student alike. given its scope, it’s unlikely to be read from cover to cover, but will no doubt be a well-thumbed essential reference for many and a highly recommended addition to any institutional library.
rob delahay, university of nottingham
genomics and bioinformatics: an introduction to programming tools for life scientists
by t. samuelsson
published by cambridge university press (2012)
£29.99 pp. 338 isbn 978-1-10740-124-2
as more of us discover the accessibility and power of microbial genome sequence data, there is a growing need to learn at least some basic programming for quickly mining or manipulating the data. although the chapters of this book predominantly address eukaryotic biological problems, the tools developed in each exercise should be adaptable to settings more familiar to most microbiologists. the appendices include very useful introductions to unix and perl, but given the basic nature of these tutorials, more explicit instruction on setting up perl would be useful for complete novices. anyone with no experience of programming will probably need guidance from a friendly informatician to get started!
as this book is aimed at ‘life scientists’, i think that some of the early chapters are too basic, with descriptions of the structure of dna and pcr, but they do start to focus on increasingly complex programming fairly quickly.
the book is appropriate for personal purchase, though there are other books that perhaps target the needs of microbiologists more directly.
mathew upton, university of plymouth
science communication: a practical guide for scientists
by l. bowater & k. yeoman
published by wiley-blackwell (2012)
£80.00 pp. 406 isbn 978-1-119-99312-4
if you are thinking of taking your first steps into the world of science communication (sci-com), my advice would be ‘have a go!’ there is simply no substitute for experience. if you want to know more about the history of science communication, how it fits with your day job, or about other people’s experiences then this book will be of value. it is written in an academic style with references to further reading throughout. the case studies give excellent insight into the thought processes and logistics behind developing an activity; however, what they lack is basic instructions of how to do key activities, which would be helpful to naïve scientists taking their first tentative steps into the field. while there are sections that will quickly date (courses, grants, prizes, etc.), that is the nature of a book of this type. the important thing is that it alerts the reader to the opportunities available. there are some issues throughout regarding font size and lack of editing. i would recommend this book as an introduction to sci-com.
vicki symington, royal society of chemistry
virology: principles and applications, 2nd edn
by j.b. carter & v.a. saunders
published by john wiley & sons (2012)
£39.99 pp. 360 isbn 978-1-11999-142-7
this is an excellent book of high value, even in an age of e-books. it is thoughtfully constructed, well illustrated and succinctly written. it has an excellent ‘virologist vocabulary’ at the end prior to a helpful index. it covers all major virus groups and deals with common themes, such as methodology, replication and virus structure before following key virus groups in detail. there are several excellent chapters on evolution, transmission and emerging viruses, including measles. if i had one criticism, it is the reliance on diagrams to illustrate concepts, when an actual photograph would have been just as informative. for example, gradient centrifugation (p. 15) or sds-page (p. 17) would have been well served by a photograph showing the real thing. this is an excellent reference for anyone who is working in the field of virology and won’t cost an arm and/or a leg.
edward d. blair, university of cambridge
