What is new in the second edition has been driven by changes in virology and in the tools used to study viruses. Some of these changes and additions include
a discussion of bioterrorism and the threat of viruses as weapons;
updated information on emerging viruses such as West Nile, and their spread;
the current state of HIV antiviral therapies;
discussions of viral genomics in cases where sequencing has been completed;
discussion of cutting‐edge technologies, such as atomic force microscopy and DNA microarray analysis; and
updated glossary and reference lists.
We have, throughout the revision, tried to give the most current understanding of the state of knowledge for a particular virus or viral process. We have been guided by a sense of what our students need in order to appreciate the complexity of the virological world and to come away from the experience with some practical tools for the next stages in their careers.
Preface to the Third Edition
It is with a true sense of our loss that the three of us sit in Irvine, California, Gainesville, Florida, and Taos, New Mexico, working toward completion of this edition. The absence of our friend and colleague, Ed Wagner, is all the more apparent as we write the preface to this latest edition of Basic Virology. In his spirit, we offer our colleagues and students this book that is our latest view of the field that Ed pursued with such passion and dedication.
In this new edition, we have attempted to bring the current state of our discipline into focus for students at the introductory and intermediate levels. To this end, we have done the job of providing the most current information, at this writing, for each of the subjects covered. We have also done some reorganization of the material. We have added three new chapters, in recognition of the importance of these areas to the study of viruses.
The book now includes a chapter devoted completely to HIV and the lentiviruses (Chapter 20), previously covered along with the retroviruses in general. Given that we continue to face the worldwide challenge of AIDS, we feel that this is an important emphasis.
You will also notice that this version now includes a Part V (“Viruses: New Approaches and New Problems”). This section begins with a consideration of the molecular tools used to study and manipulate viruses (Chapter 22), follows with coverage of viral pathogenesis at the molecular level (Chapter 23), and continues with a chapter dealing with viral genomics and bioinformatics (Chapter 24). We intend that these three chapters will give our students insight into the current threads of molecular and virological thinking. Part V concludes with our chapter on “Viruses and the Future” (Chapter 25), containing updated material on emerging viruses, including influenza, as well as viruses and nanotechnology.
A major change in this edition is the use of full‐color illustrations. We welcome this effort from our publisher, Blackwell Science, and hope that you find this adds value and utility to our presentation.
In conjunction with the expanded coverage, the Glossary has been revised. In addition, all of the references, both text and web‐based, have been reviewed and made current as of this writing.
Most of these changes were either finished or discussed in detail before Ed's untimely passing. As a result, we are proud to say that Basic Virology, Third Edition, bears the welcome imprint of the scientist/teacher who inspired the first one. We hope you agree and enjoy the fruits of this effort.
Marty Hewlett, Taos, NM, USA
Dave Bloom, Gainesville, FL, USA
David Camerini, Irvine, CA, USA
Preface to the Fourth Edition
It seems like only yesterday that Ed and Marty spoke on the phone and said, in effect, “Let's do this thing,” giving birth to Basic Virology. And here we are, completing the revisions for the fourth edition of what we hope will remain a useful and relevant textbook for the teaching of introductory virology to undergraduates.
As it has from its very beginnings, the field of virology is changing at an astounding pace, with newly recognized diseases and their viral causes being reported, accompanied by ever more sophisticated techniques for studying these entities that exist at the fringes of the living world.
In this latest edition we have attempted to capture some of this dynamism, while retaining the organization and pedagogical approach of the original. To that end we have added new and expanded discussions of such agents as Ebola virus, Zika virus, and H1N1 and H7N9 influenza virus, as well as the SARS‐CoV‐2/COVID‐19 pandemic, with information that is current as of this writing. We have modified our presentation of techniques, removing some that are outdated (CoT curves, as an example), retaining the classics that have defined the field (pulse and pulse‐chase labeling), and introducing the newest approaches that are opening new areas of investigation (CRISPR‐Cas).
The organization of the book has been retained from the third edition, with 25 chapters divided into five parts, including the Case Studies, updated as necessary. We have tried to avoid textbook size creep by making judicious editorial choices. Figures have been changed as needed to reflect new information, with the addition of new graphics where necessary to complete new or expanded coverage.
We hope that you find this version of our work both useful and relevant in your teaching of our favorite topic . . . virology!
David Camerini, Martinez “Marty” Hewlett, and Dave Bloom: Michael's Kitchen and Bakery, Taos, New Mexico, March 2017.
Acknowledgments
Even the most basic text cannot be solely the work of its author or authors; this is especially true for this one. We are extremely grateful to a large number of colleagues, students, and friends. They provided critical reading, essential information, experimental data, and figures, as well as other important help for all four of the editions of Basic Virology. This group includes the following scholars from other research centers: Wah Chiu, Stanford University; J. Brown, University of Virginia; J. B. Flannegan and R. Condit, University of Florida; J. Conway, National Institutes of Health; K. Fish and J. Nelson, Oregon Health Sciences University; D. W. Gibson, Johns Hopkins University; P. Ghazal, University of Edinburgh; H. Granzow, Friedrich‐Loeffler‐Institut, Insel Riems; C. Grose, University of Iowa; J. Hill, Louisiana State University Eye Center–New Orleans; S. Karst, University of Florida; J.