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Emergence and Control of Zoonotic Viral Encephalitides Prions and Prion Diseases

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Emergence and Control of Zoonotic Viral Encephalitides Prions and Prion Diseases BOOK REVIEWS Emergence and were made at a symposium on West Nile virus that will protect hors- “Emergence and Control of Zoonotic es against a West Nile virus–mosquito Control of Zoonotic Viral Encephalitides.” The sympo- challenge, and on diagnosis of Viral sium was held April 6–8, 2003, in Les zoonotic viral encephalitis. Encephalitides Pensieres, Veyrier du Lac, France. The book will be worthwhile to The first presentation gives an virologists and other infectious dis- overview of the emergence of zoonot- ease researchers and practitioners C.H. Calisher and D.E. Griffin, ic viruses maintained by wildlife interested in the biology, virulence, Editors reservoir hosts and describes a con- and genetic evolution of viral ceptual model of processes that would encephalitides, and the factors Springer-Verlag, Wien, New York account for the transmission of virus- involved in their emergence. ISBN: 3-211-20455-5 (hardcover) es among species. The second presen- tation describes the role of disease Marguerite Pappaioanou* Pages: 244, Price: US $189; surveillance in polio eradication and *Centers for Disease Control and Euros 147.85 the identification of emerging viral Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA encephalitides. The third presentation The viral encephalitides of gives an overview of the mechanisms Reference Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan of genetic changes and neuroviru- 1. Institute of Medicine. Microbial threats to equine encephalitis viruses have been lence of encephalitogenic arboviruses. health: emergence, detection and response. of public health concern for years. The following 13 presentations Washington: National Academy Press; 2003. Over the last decade, several out- include overviews of molecular deter- breaks caused by emerging zoonotic minants of virulence of West Nile Address for correspondence: Marguerite viral encephalitides, such as West Nile virus in North America, genetic deter- Pappaioanou, Centers for Disease Control and virus in North America and Nipah minants of Venezuelan equine Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, Mailstop virus in Malaysia and Singapore in encephalitis virus, evolution and dis- D69, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA; fax: 404-639- 1999, resulted in serious illnesses and persal of encephalitic flaviviruses, 7490; email: [email protected] deaths in persons, domesticated food and West Nile and other zoonotic animals, and wildlife. The Institute of viruses in Russia. Presentations that Medicine has cited a number of fac- follow address lyssaviruses and heni- tors that have led to these and other paviruses transmitted by frugivorous emerging disease outbreaks: 1) a bats, host-management strategies of growing human population that is novel viral encephalitides associated moving into habitats of wildlife and with bats, regulation of transcription Prions and Prion domesticated livestock and poultry; 2) and the nature of the cell receptor with Diseases: Current global climate changes that have regard to henipaviruses, and entry Perspectives caused changes in arthropod vector machinery of flaviviruses. Also and rodent reservoir populations; 3) included are presentations on persist- rapid travel and movement of people ent infection and suppression of host Glenn C. Telling, Editor and animals worldwide; and 4) chang- response by alphaviruses, subversive ing human behaviors (1). Emergence neuroinvasive strategy of rabies virus, Horizon Bioscience, Norfolk, and Control of Zoonotic Viral neurovirulence and host factors in fla- England Encephalitides is a timely book that vivirus encephalitis, regulation of ISBN: 0-9545232-6-1 gives an overview of agent, host, apoptosis by viruses infecting insects, environmental, and other factors that and Semliki Forest virus infection of Pages: 307, Price: U.S. $180 have led to the emergence and trans- laboratory mice as models to study the mission of several zoonotic viral pathogenesis of viral encephalitis. Prion diseases, also known as encephalitides, including flaviviruses, The book finishes with presenta- transmissible spongiform encephalo- alphaviruses, and rabies virus. The tions on a novel principle of attenua- pathies, are rapidly progressive, uni- book also details important avenues tion for developing new generation formly fatal brain diseases that can for their control. live flavivirus vaccines, on tick-borne infect humans and animals, including This book is a special issue of the encephalitis, and on a recombinant cattle, sheep, goats, mink, deer, elk, Archives of Virology, and its 244 vaccine developed from a canarypox cats, and zoo ungulates. In humans, pages comprise 21 presentations that virus carrying the prM/E genes of prion diseases can occur as a sporadic Emerging Infectious Diseases • www.cdc.gov/eid • Vol. 10, No. 12, December 2004 2265 BOOK REVIEWS or inherited disease, or as a result of Prions: Molecular and Cellular Ermias D. Belay* iatrogenic transmission. Prion dis- Biology. The book’s 10 chapters *Centers for Disease Control and eases generated great public concern describe the biochemical and molecu- Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA after an outbreak of bovine spongi- lar features of prions and the normal form encephalopathy occurred in prion protein, various laboratory Address for correspondence: Ermias D. Belay, many European countries and scien- methods for studying prions, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tific evidence indicated its transmis- advances in the pathogenesis and 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop A39, Atlanta, GA sion to humans. immunology of prion diseases. 30333, USA; fax: 404-639-3838; email: Research in prion diseases is ham- Chapters 2 through 6 detail labora- [email protected] pered by certain unconventional prop- tory methods developed to study the erties of the presumed etiologic agent unconventional agent of prion dis- and the long incubation period associ- eases. Chapter 2 describes a cell-free ated with these diseases. Most con- conversion reaction system to study ventional laboratory methods used to how pathogenic prions associated Veterinary study viruses and bacteria may not be with different species interact with Institutions in the applicable. In the past, the etiologic host cellular prion protein. Such sys- agent of transmissible spongiform tems have been used to study the bio- Developing World: encephalopathies was believed to be a chemical mechanisms of prion dis- Current Status and slow virus, primarily because of its eases and can potentially be used to Future Needs transmissibility, ability to retain infec- screen new therapies for their effec- tivity after filtration, and long incuba- tiveness against prion diseases. tion period. The successful transmis- Chapter 3 describes the mechanisms Cees de Haan, Editor sion of scrapie, a centuries-old prion underlying the biosynthesis and cell disease of sheep, to mice in 1961 biology of the cellular prion protein World Organisation for Animal greatly facilitated identification and by using cell culture systems. Health Scientific and Technical characterization of the scrapie agent. Understanding the detailed biochemi- Review Several characteristics of the scrapie cal properties of the cellular prion agent suggest that the agent is not a protein will help show the molecular ISBN 92-9044-605-6 virus but is likely composed primarily basis of its interaction with, and con- of a protein. The agent’s characteris- version to, the pathogenic prions. Pages: 397, Price: US $62.50; 50 tics include the absence of disease- Subsequent chapters in the book Euros (including airmail postage) specific nucleic acids; resistance to describe other laboratory methods, radiation, nucleases, and standard including transgenic mouse models, Veterinary institutions help sterilization and disinfection methods; which can be used to investigate the improve animal health by providing and inactivation by protein-modifying transmissibility of prions among dif- training that will enhance livestock procedures. These observations and ferent species, the extent and degree production and trade and protect pub- purification of the scrapie prion in the of the “species barrier,” the mecha- lic health. The increasing role of ani- early 1980s led to widespread accept- nism of prion propagation, and prion mals in emerging infectious diseases ance of the prion hypothesis. disease pathogenesis. has emphasized the need to improve Since the 1980s, both the scope Overall, the book provides a veterinary services and integrate them and nature of prion disease research wealth of information on the progress with public health services more has progressed rapidly. The economic made in understanding the molecular, effectively. and human cost associated with the immunologic, and genetic aspects of The World Organisation for bovine spongiform encephalopathy prion diseases and the laboratory Animal Health devoted its Scientific outbreak fueled the need to better methods used to study them. This and Technical Review (Volume 23, understand the etiologic agent of book will be valuable to prion disease No. 1, April, 2004) to addressing prion diseases and their basic trans- researchers, to scientists who want to these weaknesses and the rapidly mission mechanism. Prions and Prion gain more knowledge about the changing environment of veterinary Diseases: Current Perspectives sum- progress made in understanding the services in developing countries. The marizes the advances in prion disease mechanisms of prion propagation, and issue consisted of an introduction and research. It expands on a previous to persons just beginning to study summary by the coordinator and con- volume edited by David Harris that these unconventional, fatal brain dis- tributions from 28 persons organized was published in 1999 under the title eases. into six sections. The first section 2266 Emerging Infectious Diseases • www.cdc.gov/eid • Vol. 10, No. 12, December 2004.
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