The New Killer Diseases新型致命疾病
分類: 图书,进口原版书,医学 Medicine ,
作者: Elinor Levy 著
出 版 社: 东至影音 (代销)
出版时间: 2004-8-1字数:版次: 1页数: 359印刷时间: 2004/08/01开本: 32开印次: 1纸张: 胶版纸I S B N : 9781400052752包装: 平装内容简介
The strange new disease SARS erupted apparently out of nowhere and has spread at an astonishing rate. Scary as SARS itself is, the disease is also a warning of many possible such outbreaks to come. Featuring the disturbing story of SARS—where it came from, what it is, and how to protect yourself from it—as well as those of many other recently evolved deadly scourges, The New Killer Diseases is a shocking call to arms.
All around us—in our homes, workplaces, and public spaces—bacteria and viruses are evolving at a feverish rate, and our best defenses against them are in danger of being overwhelmed. The threat posed by emerging infectious diseases is as formidable as any challenge the human race has ever faced, and the evolutionary scales may be tipping in favor of the microbes.
In The New Killer Diseases, a respected immunologist and a veteran science author introduce the vital facts the public must know about the astonishing range of killer microbes we are up against. From the SARS and West Nile viruses to mad cow and Ebola, thirty new deadly diseases have arisen since the 1970s, and twenty old scourges, such as plague and cholera, are reemerging. But the FDA only recently approved the first new type of antibiotic in thirty-four years, and vaccines for many of the most lethal viruses are a long way from development. In addition, researchers have only lately discovered that bacteria have been swapping resistance genes—genes that help them evade the drugs meant to kill them—and are evolving new mechanisms to fight off even our best drugs at a startling pace.
Featuring many remarkable stories of people who have contracted bizarre new afflictions, including that of the doctor who first diagnosed SARS and then died from it, The New Killer Diseases empowers readers by revealing in a gripping, detailed fashion the way these new diseases manifest themselves, the symptoms to watch out for, and how to get a correct diagnosis in time. The book also goes to the front lines of the war being waged by researchers and medical professionals across the country, profiling the pioneers who are leading the fight and introducing the latest scientific developments, from new genetic techniques to promising drug programs, which may allow us to beat back the microbe menace.
The New Killer Diseases arms us with the knowledge to protect ourselves and our families, leaving us alert and fully informed about the troubling extent of the formidable threat we face.
From the Hardcover edition.
作者简介
ELINOR LEVY, Ph.D., is an immunologist and associate professor of microbiology at Boston University and the Boston Medical Center. She has conducted research on HIV and on immune responses in healthy individuals.
目录
INTRODUCTION: SARS,THE NEWEST KILLER
CHAPTER 1. THE CASE OF JEANNIE BROWN
CHAPTER 2. THE BIOTEBBOBISM CHALLENGE, Meeting the Threat
CHAPTER 3. OUR AILING PATHOGEN ALERT SYSTEM, Germs from Abroad
CHAPTER 4. MAD COW AND CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE: The Strange Horrors of Prions
CHAPTER 5. E, COL/GONE BAD: Runaway Bacterial Evolution
CHAPTER 6. BACTERIAL RESISTANCE: The Dangers of Antibiotics and Hospitals
CHAPTER 7. THE NEXT FLU PANDEMIC Rapidly Mutating Viruses
CHAPTER 8. TB AGAIN: The Fight-Then-Forget Cycle
CHAPTER 9. TICKING TIME BOMBS: Chronic Diseases Combining Forces
CHAPTER 10. WHAT WE MUST DO
EPILOGUE: THE NEW NORMAL
NOTES ON SOURCES AND
FURTHER READING
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS