Influenza

Since the influenza virus was first isolated in the laboratory some 70 years ago, the disease has been the subject of intense study, and our knowledge has escalated as the newer techniques of medicine and science have made further advances possible. At the present time, our information of the disease and the virus that causes it is probably more detailed than for any other virus infection, perhaps excluding the human immunodeficiency virus. The subject of influenza divides itself into a number of specialities, and such is the pace of research and the depth of our knowledge, that workers in one area may have little understanding of the advances made in others.

This volume of Perspectives in Medical Virology has enlisted twelve internationally recognised researchers on specific aspects on the subject of influenza to write a summary of the important developments in the past and offer their views on the problems that remain to be addressed. It is hoped that their emphasis, reservations and projections are of value to future research, and offer directions for a better understanding of the virus, the disease it causes, the production of vaccines and the development of therapeutic agents so that at some date in the future this infection can be brought under control.

"...This refreshing volume, edited by C.W. Potter, offers personalized accounts by some of the key players in influenza research of what has been done in the past 50 years and what the prospects are for developing therapeutic agents and better vaccines in the future. Two chapters devoted to influenza virus structure and replication give an overview of virus entry, assembly and release, as well as of some aspects of host cell-virus interactions. This volume offers many interesting perspectives and is a welcome addition to the scientific literature on influenza. It is highly recommended to anyone who wants a better understanding of the virus, the disease it causes and the prospects for better vaccines and therapeutic agents."—Archives of Virology

"...I can thoroughly recommend it both as a snapshot of current virology and clinical management of influenza, and as a reference source for the most serious delver into medical science."—The Lancet: Infectious Diseases