Antiviral therapy /

Reading between well-written lines, this comprehensive overview on antiviral chemotherapy makes clear that no "magical" cure exists for any viral disease. Nevertheless, a large battery of chemotherapeutic agents now exists for treatment or control of a wide range of viral diseases. The authors begin with a brief history of antivirals, particularly those developed to deal with the complex DNA viruses among the pox and herpes groups. Among these agents are the nucleotide analogs, many of which have found subsequent use against other viral agents. Several chapters discuss control or treatment of HIV. The timeliness of the book is illustrated by several sections that address the new protease inhibitors, therapeutics believed to inhibit HIV during one of its more vulnerable stages, assembly. Unfortunately, the prediction by the authors that resistant mutants will likely appear has been proven true in recent clinical trials. A useful compendium for any clinical investigator in virology, the chapters are delineated on the basis of clinical features such as respiratory disease. Material is clear and of sufficient detail to explain the molecular basis for any pharmaceutical currently in use. Each chapter closes with a summary, followed by an up-to-date review list and bibliography. A closing section brief discusses emerging viruses and newly discovered clinical features of viral infections. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. R. Adler; University of Michigan--Dearborn