Avian Influenza

H. -D. Klenk, M. N. Matrosovich, J. Stech, W. Preiser

• Publisher: S. Karger
• Year: 2008
• Print ISBN: 9783805585019
• eBook ISBN: 9783805585026
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Epidemiology

Because of its high impact on both animal and human health, avian influenza has become a matter of increasing public concern and growing scientific interest within the last decade. This volume gives an overview of the most important results of these research efforts and provides information about the ecology and epidemiology of avian influenza with particular emphasis on recent H5N1 outbreaks in China, Siberia and Europe. Several articles deal with new vaccination strategies, the use of antivirals and other control measures to combat outbreaks of avian influenza. Further chapters illustrate that molecular biology, culminating in the generation of influenza viruses by recombinant DNA technology, was instrumental in unravelling the roles of the viral hemagglutinin and polymerase as well as cellular signalling pathways and innate immunity in pathogenesis and interspecies transmission. Finally, the threat of a pandemic originating from avian influenza viruses is illustrated by the example of the Spanish influenza of 1918. This comprehensive publication on avian influenza viruses and their relevance for human influenza will be of great value to all influenza virologists, molecular biologists, public health scientists, veterinary virologists, ecologists, and scientists engaged in drug design and vaccine development.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Foreword
• Epidemiology of Avian Influenza
• H5N1 in Asia
• Epidemiology and Control of H5N1 Avian Influenza in China
• Avian Influenza in Northern Eurasia
• Avian Influenza in Italy 1997–2006
• Avian Influenza Outbreaks in Germany – Development of New Avian Vaccines
• The Role of Pigs in Interspecies Transmission
• History of Research on Avian Influenza
• Reverse Genetics of Influenza Viruses – Applications in Research and Vaccine Design
• Receptor Specificity of Influenza Viruses and Its Alteration during Interspecies Transmission
• Cleavage Activation of the Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin and Its Role in Pathogenesis
• Structure and Function of the Influenza A Virus Ribonucleoprotein: Transcription and Replication
• Influenza A Virus Polymerase: A Determinant of Host Range and Pathogenicity
• Influenza A Virus Virulence and Innate Immunity: Recent Insights from New Mouse Models
• Signaling to Life and Death: Influenza Viruses and Intracellular Signal Transduction Cascades
• Cytokines in the Pathogenesis of Highly Virulent Influenza Viruses in Humans
• Antivirals and Resistance
• The 1918 Influenza Pandemic: Lessons from the Past Raise Questions for the Future
• Author Index
• Subject Index