A Review of Virology: Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis

doi:10.1128/jmbe.v12i2.338

Susan Godfrey
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, E-mail:
ssg1@pitt.edu .

Review of: Virology: Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis, 1st ed.; Leonard C. Norkin; (2010). ASM Press, Washington DC. Hardcover, 725 pages. ISBN-10: 1555814530.

This text opens with chapters on virus concepts, emergence of virology as a discipline, and a general description of viral strategies for hijacking host cells and host defenses against such attacks. These four chapters comprise approximately 20% of the book.

An outstanding feature of this part is that it tells the history using clear accounts of reasoning that lead from observations to current conceptual descriptions of virus biology. It is implicit that argument is the basis of the science, rather than a simple list of memorizable facts. There are accessible descriptions of key technical methods, with examples of data. The connection between current technology and the types of discoveries made is explicit both for bacterial and animal virus biology. Choice of only a few viruses as examples in this part of the text facilitates a coherent presentation that does not distract the student from the basics of viral diversity.

These chapters provide excellent support for students and resources for instructors. They prepare students for the reading of technical literature while, at the same time, they are engaging and accessible to the novice. However, they do imply that most bacteriophages are like T4 or lambda, and there is little coverage of phages elsewhere.

A feature unusual (not unique) among texts intended for undergraduates is the subsequent discussion of the details of viral replication strategies separately for each virus family. Viruses are parasites that must rely on their hosts for most replication functions, but how they do so varies widely. Here, they are grouped according to details of strategies they use for replication, using the Baltimore system. Because it marries virus biology to physical features of the virus groups, and since replication is rooted in the basic biology of cellular organisms, this is a more coherent organization than the more common method of separate chapters for broad stages of replication illustrated with a chaotic mix of different viruses. These virus family chapters comprise the remainder of the text.

Chapters start with a brief overview and finish with a few citations to the primary literature. Engaging detail is provided in sidebar boxes. Figures and micrographs are formatted as presented in the literature and have clear, helpful, detailed figure legends.

Key considerations for an instructor choosing a virology text for undergraduate students include whether students will be also studying virology in the laboratory, whether the focus is to be primarily on human pathogenic viruses or a survey of general virology, and the degree of sophistication students are expected to attain in this subject. This text has a level of detail about animal viruses, and mechanisms of host defenses against them, that can support a lecture class for graduate or upper-level undergraduate students at a research university. Basic-level discussions of animal virus portals of entry, virulence factors, evasion of host defenses, and host countermeasures are excellent.

The book would not be ideal as a stand-alone text for a general virology survey course, since there is little or no material on fungal, algal, protozoan, or bacterial viruses here. Further, practical applications of bacteriophages are not found in the index, except where they directly relate to animal virology, and genetic analysis of viruses, viral ecology, and viral evolution are discussed only indirectly.

The book would not be very supportive of a typical virus lab class since it lacks focus on bacterial, algal, or insect viruses, which are most likely to be used in a lab classroom for technical and safety reasons. Overall, this would be an excellent choice for students in a medical virology lecture class, and a great addition to the library reserve list for any class in virology.

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JMBE
ISSN: 1935-7885

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Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education

A Review of Virology: Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis