Viruses

Description

Humans have long faced an invisible enemy in the form of deadly viruses, and the COVID-19 pandemic shows what devastation they can wreak. As we face the prospect of more such viruses emerging, this major new edition of Dorothy Crawford's work explains the nature of viruses, how they cause disease, and how modern science is learning to counter them.

• Explores what viruses are, and how and why they cause disease
• Analyses recent epidemics caused by viruses, from Swine Flu to SARS, Ebola, and most devastating of all, COVID-19
• Considers how we can fight viruses, particularly in the wake of the 2020-21 global pandemic
• Discusses the ways our exploitation of the natural world is accelerating the rate of emergence of novel viruses
• Looks to the challenges we can expect in the future, from new and as-yet undiscovered viruses

About the Author(s)

Dorothy H. Crawford, Emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology, University of Edinburgh

<b>Dorothy Crawford</b> FRSE OBE is professor of medical microbiology and assistant principal for public understanding of medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where she was also Vice Principal for Public Understanding of Science (2008-12). Her specialism in research has been the Epstein-Barr virus. She has written eight popular books, including Viruses: A Very Short Introduction, (2nd edition, 2018), and Deadly Companions, (2018, also in Oxford Landmark Science), as well as a large number of articles for newspapers and blogs, including a period as a science columnist for The Scotsman. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and was awarded an OBE for services to medicine and to higher education.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
1:Bugs, Germs, and Microbes
2:New viruses or old adversaries in new guises?
3:Coughs and sneezes spread diseases
4:Unlike love, Herpes is forever
5:Viruses and Cancer
6:Searching for a cure
Conclusion - The future - friend or foe

Reviews

"I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding general aspects of modern virology in a clear and delightful manner." - Karen Campos-León, Former Fellow Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Birmingham, UK, Microbiology Society