Human Cytomegalovirus

This comprehensive account of the human herpesviruses provides an encyclopedic overview of their basic virology and clinical manifestations. This group of viruses includes human simplex type 1 and 2, Epstein–Barr virus, Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, cytomegalovirus, HHV6A, 6B and 7, and varicella-zoster virus. The viral diseases and cancers they cause are significant and often recurrent. Their prevalence in the developed world accounts for a major burden of disease, and as a result there is a great deal of research into the pathophysiology of infection and immunobiology. Another important area covered within this volume concerns antiviral therapy and the development of vaccines. All these aspects are covered in depth, both scientifically and in terms of clinical guidelines for patient care. The text is illustrated generously throughout and is fully referenced to the latest research and developments.

This volume has gathered some of the experts in the field to review aspects of our understanding of CMV and to offer perspectives of the current problems associated with CMV. The editors and authors hope that the chapters will lead to a better understanding of the virus that will assist in the development of new and unique antivirals, a protective vaccine, and a full understanding of CMV's involvement in human disease.

In this book the current knowledge on human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) as a human pathogen is lucidly summarized, bringing the reader fully up to date with current knowledge concerning HCMV and all the known clincial and medical aspects of diseases caused by, and associated with, HCMV. The book is divided into four parts: (I) Human cytomegalovirus and human diseases; (II) human cytomegalovirus infections and the immunocompromised host; (III) diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of human cytomegalovirus and human diseases; and (IV) molecular aspects of human cytomegalovirus. Each part is put together from chapters written by experts in the respective fields, providing basic medical and molecular knowledge in addition to more specific understanding of HCMV infections.

The relationship between herpesviruses and humans probably dates from thousands of years ago. In the last few decades, many aspects of herpesvirus infections have been understood, such as infections with a range of manifestations (severe, mild, or subclinical). Herpesvirus can remain latent during a lifetime and sometimes their reactivation can cause different clinical features in the patient. Several conditions have been related to herpesvirus reactivation such as complications in transplant organ recipients and immune regulatory modification in the elderly. Aspects of human herpesvirus simples, varicella-zoster virus, and cytomegalovirus are presented and discussed in this book.

This new edition explores and provides an update on the biology and pathogenesis of human cytomegalovirus infection. Modern techniques that are currently being utilized to investigate the molecular aspects of viral infection, as well as how these new research studies are leading to new approaches to mitigate disease, are also provided. Given the key role the virus plays in significant acute and chronic human disease in all stages of life, from newborns to seniors, the need for clear methodologies to further explore the biology of HCMV infection and mitigation strategies is readily apparent. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and up-to-date, Human Cytomegaloviruses: Methods and Protocols, Second Edition serves as an ideal scientific reference for basic and clinical scientists and medical personnel on the modern understanding of the pathobiology of the virus, and the approaches, techniques, and models to study human cytomegalovirus infection and disease.

Human Cytomegalovirus: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2011 Edition is a ScholarlyBrief™ that delivers timely, authoritative, comprehensive, and specialized information about Human Cytomegalovirus in a concise format. The editors have built Human Cytomegalovirus: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2011 Edition on the vast information databases of ScholarlyNews.™ You can expect the information about Human Cytomegalovirus in this eBook to be deeper than what you can access anywhere else, as well as consistently reliable, authoritative, informed, and relevant. The content of Human Cytomegalovirus: New Insights for the Healthcare Professional: 2011 Edition has been produced by the world’s leading scientists, engineers, analysts, research institutions, and companies. All of the content is from peer-reviewed sources, and all of it is written, assembled, and edited by the editors at ScholarlyEditions™ and available exclusively from us. You now have a source you can cite with authority, confidence, and credibility. More information is available at http://www.ScholarlyEditions.com/.

Human Cytomegalovirus (CMV) - a member of the herpesvirus family - is an underrated health risk. A low public awareness results from the relatively mild symptoms it causes in otherwise healthy people whose immune systems are intact, with primary infection usually going unnoticed. During pregnancy, however, transmission from the mother to the fetus is currently the most frequent viral cause of birth defects with lifelong neurological sequelae, sensorineural hearing loss in particular. People at risk also include the growing number of immune compromised patients requiring either a solid organ graft or receiving a hematopoietic cell graft for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies that are refractory to standard therapies. Under the condition of weakened immune surveillance in these patients, latent CMV hidden in transplanted donor cells or in the recipients' own tissues can awake to cause a destructive infection resulting in graft loss and multiple end-organ disease, of which viral pneumonia is the most feared. This two volume work is an updated and upgraded second edition of Cytomegaloviruses: Molecular Biology and Immunology (2006). The second edition's title - Cytomegaloviruses: From Molecular Pathogenesis to Intervention - reflects its expanded commitment not only to cover cutting edge basic science, but also to include the translation of this to clinical science. In an interdisciplinary approach to understanding CMV disease and outlining options for prevention and treatment, leading international experts provide comprehensive and authoritative reviews on literally every aspect of current research with an unprecedented completeness, integrating research on human CMV and insights gained from experimental animal models. With contributions from over 100 authors, the topics covered in the 46 chapters range from the most contemporary systems biology 'omics' views on virus-host interaction to considerations of the health and economic impact of CMV disease for evaluating the hoped-for benefit from a vaccine. Volume 1 (as an individual volume: ISBN 978 1 908230 19 5) focuses on basic science laying the foundations of clinical research, starting with the comparative genomics of primate CMVs and ending with the emerging field of humanized mouse models. This Volume 2 (as an individual volume: ISBN 978 1 908230 20 1; as a two volume set: ISBN 978 1 908230 18 8) is more clinically oriented, covering the immune response to CMV, the most pressing medical problems in the newborn and in transplantation patients, as well as diagnostics, the management of antiviral drug resistance, the state and future of a CMV vaccine, and the potential of using CMV as a vaccine vector to fight unrelated diseases. The book closes with a critical survey of disputed associations between CMV and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, certain tumors such as Glioblastoma Multiforme, and the phenomenon of 'immune senescence' in the elderly. The two volume set (ISBN 978 1 908230 18 8) is liberally illustrated with more than 200 figures, most of which are in full color. There are over 60 tables and several thousand references which enhance the set even further, making it an invaluable source of information. This will be essential reading for all virologists with an interest in cytomegaloviruses, for all clinicians in pediatric intensive care medicine and at transplantation centers, for scientists working on antiviral drug and vaccine development, as well as for public health service and science funding system authorities.