Published since 1953, Advances in Virus Research covers a diverse range of in-depth reviews providing a valuable overview of the current field of virology. The impact factor for 2008 is 4.886, placing it 4th in the highly competitive category of virology. - Contributions from leading authorities - Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect bacteria and are believed to be the most abundant and genetically diverse organisms on Earth. As such, their ecology is vast both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Their abundance makes an understanding of phage ecology increasingly relevant to bacterial ecosystem ecology, bacterial genomics and bacterial pathology. Abedon provides the first text on phage ecology for almost 20 years. Written by leading experts, synthesizing the three key approaches to studying phage ecology, namely studying them in natural environments (in situ), experimentally in the lab, or theoretically using mathematical or computer models. With strong emphasis on microbial population biology and distilling cutting-edge research into basic principles, this book will complement other currently available volumes. It will therefore serve as an essential resource for graduate students and researchers, particularly those with an interest in phage ecology and evolutionary biology.

This first major reference work dedicated to the mannifold industrial and medical applications of bacteriophages provides both theoretical and practical insights into the emerging field of bacteriophage biotechnology. The book introduces to bacteriophage biology, ecology and history and reviews the latest technologies and tools in bacteriophage detection, strain optimization and nanotechnology. Usage of bacteriophages in food safety, agriculture, and different therapeutic areas is discussed in detail. This book serves as essential guide for researchers in applied microbiology, biotechnology and medicine coming from both academia and industry.

It has been 10 years since Plenum included a series of reviews on bacte riophages, in Comprehensive Virology. Chapters in that series contained physical-genetic maps but very little DNA sequence information. Now the complete DNA sequence is known for some phages, and the se quences for others will soon follow. During the past 10 years two phages have come into common use as reagents: A phage for cloning single copies of genes, and Ml3 for cloning and DNA sequencing by the dideoxy termi nation method. Also during that period the use of alternative sigma fac tors by RNA polymerase has become established for SPOl and T4. This seems to be a widely used mechanism in bacteria, since it has been implicated in sporulation, heat shock response, and regulation of nitro gen metabolism. The control of transcription by the binding of A phage CII protein to the -35 region of the promoter is a recent finding, and it is not known how widespread this mechanism may be. This rapid progress made me eager to solicit a new series of reviews. These contributions are of two types. Each of the first type deals with an issue that is exemplified by many kinds of phages; chapters of this type should be useful in teaching advanced courses. Chapters of the second type provide comprehensive pictures of individual phage families and should provide valuable information for use in planning experiments.

In response to the emergence of pathogenic bacteria that cannot be treated with current antibiotics, many researchers are revisiting the use of bacteriophages, or phages, to fight multidrug-resistant bacteria. Bacteriophages: Biology and Applications provides unparalleled, comprehensive information on bacteriophages and their applications, such as phage therapy. It offers techniques, media, and methodology involved in isolating and working with therapeutic phages. Photographs, line drawings, and electron micrographs of phages are also included. With its broad approach, this book is a useful reference for microbiologists, hematologists, and infectious disease researchers.

Serpins are a group of proteins with similar structures that were first identified as a set of proteins able to inhibit proteases. This volume in the Methods in Enzymology series comprehensively covers this topic. With an international board of authors, this volume covers subjects such as Crystallography of serpins and serpin complexes, Serpins as hormone transporters, and Production of serpins using cell free systems. This volume in the Methods in Enzymology series comprehensively covers the topic of serpins With an international board of authors, this volume covers subjects such as Crystallography of serpins and serpin complexes, Serpins as hormone transporters, and Production of serpins using cell free systems

Introductory Microbiology Lab Skills and Techniques in Food Science covers topics on isolation, identification, numeration and observation of microorganisms, biochemistry tests, case studies, clinical lab tasks, and basic applied microbiology. The book is written technically with figures and photos showing details of every lab procedure. This is a resource that is skills-based focusing on lab technique training. It is introductory in nature, but encourages critical thinking based on real case studies of what happens in labs every day and includes self-evaluation learning questions after each lab section. This is an excellent guide for anyone who needs to understand how to apply microbiology to the lab in a practical setting. - Presents step-by-step lab procedures with photos in lab setting. - Includes case studies of microorganism causing infectious disease. - Provides clinical microbial lab tasks to mimic real-life situations applicable to industry.