Insect Immunity, Volume 52 provides readers with the latest interdisciplinary reviews on the topic. It is an essential reference source for invertebrate physiologists, neurobiologists, entomologists, zoologists and insect chemists, providing invaluable chapters on Insect Antimicrobial Defenses: A Brief History, Recent Findings, Biases, and a Way Forward in Evolutionary Studies, Phagocytosis in Insect Immunity, The Melanization Response in Insect Immunity, Microbiota, Gut Physiology, and Insect Immunity, Intestinal Stem Cells: A Decade of Intensive Research in Drosophila and the Road Ahead, and Insect Symbiosis and Immunity: The Bean Bug-Burkholderia Interaction as a Case Study, along with other related topics.

Blood-sucking insects are the vectors of many of the most debilitating parasites of man and his domesticated animals. In addition they are of considerable direct cost to the agricultural industry through losses in milk and meat yields, and through damage to hides and wool, etc. So, not surprisingly, many books of medical and veterinary entomology have been written. Most of these texts are organized taxonomically giving the details of the life-cycles, bionomics, relationship to disease and economic importance of each of the insect groups in turn. I have taken a different approach. This book is topic led and aims to discuss the biological themes which are common in the lives of blood-sucking insects. To do this I have concentrated on those aspects of the biology of these fascinating insects which have been clearly modified in some way to suit the blood-sucking habit. For example, I have discussed feeding and digestion in some detail because feeding on blood presents insects with special problems, but I have not discussed respiration because it is not affected in any particular way by haematophagy. Naturally there is a subjective element in the choice of topics for discussion and the weight given to each. I hope that I have not let my enthusiasm for particular subjects get the better of me on too many occasions and that the subject material achieves an overall balance.

It can be seen that the insects are the still attracting most research and researchers. However, an increasing interest is emerging to study new invertebrate groups, especially those where the genome is known. Even though Drosophila has been and still is an excellent model for immune studies, it is now clear that there are great differences between immune responses in Drosophila and that of several other invertebrates, which indeed calls for more research on other invertebrates

The Biology of Mosquitoes Volume 3: Viral, Arboviral and Bacterial PathogensA N Clements, Professor Emeritus, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineMosquitoes are of significant interest both as transmitters of major diseases and as nuisance insects, and as such are one of the most intensively studied and well-known groups of insects.Following the widely acclaimed first two volumes of The Biology of Mosquitoes, this authoritative review covers viral, arboviral and bacterial pathogens of mosquitoes, with a further volume on malarial, filarial and other parasites to follow.While originally intended as a chapter in the projected third volume Dormancy, Survival, Speciation and Evolution, the important and extensive subjects of parasites and pathogens have instead been devoted two volumes of their own, providing the appropriate breadth and detail of coverage for factors so significant in the survival of adult mosquitoes, and therefore the epidemiology of mosquito-borne diseases.Covering host-parasite interactions, mosquito immune responses and characteristics and transmission of viruses and prokaryotes, this essential reference book is a must-read for entomologists, particularly those involved with mosquitoes as disease vectors or pests both in the laboratory and the field." Third volume in definitive series on mosquito biology" Indexed by species and subject" Illustrated with diagrams and electron micrographs" Uses the new classification and nomenclature for mosquito species" Broad coverage of developments in molecular biology" Synthesis of research from many disparate journals into one comprehensive volumeA fourth volume, Malarial, Filarial and Other Parasites, and the fifth and final volume, Dormancy, Survival, Speciation and Evolution, are in preparation.Praise for previous volumes"The Biology of Mosquitoes will form an essential source for years to come'¦Professor Clements' masterly compilation constitutes an indispensable guide for all culicidologists, whether their interests be academic or applied." - Philip Corbet, Antenna: Bulletin of the Royal Entomological Society

The great importance of mosquitoes lies in their role as transmitters of pathogens and parasites, and in their use as experimental animals well suited to laboratory investigations into aspects of biochemistry, physiology and behaviour. The largest part of this latest volume of The Biology of Mosquitoes concerns interactions between mosquitoes and viruses and the transmission of arboviruses to their vertebrate hosts, while the remainder concerns symbiotic interactions between mosquitoes and bacteria. The introduction provides a timely review of the first major development in mosquito taxonomy for several decades. Further chapters describe the interactions between mosquitoes and the viruses that infect them, the transmission and epidemiology of seven very important arboviruses, and the biology of bacteria that are important control agents or of great biological interest. Like the earlier volumes, Volume 3 combines recent information with earlier important findings from field and laboratory to provide the broadest coverage available on the subject.

Second edition looks at the favourable biological modifications of these insects and also considers the economical, social and medical aspects.