Infections must be thought as one of the most important, if not the most important, risk factors for cancer development in humans. Approximately 15-20% of all cases of cancer around the world are caused by viruses. The establishment of a causal relationship between the presence of specific infective agents and certain types of human cancer represents a key step in the development of novel therapeutic and preventive strategies. In this book, Professor zur Hausen (Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine 2008) provides a thorough and comprehensive overview on carcinogenic infective agents -- viruses, bacteria, parasites and protozoons -- as well as their corresponding transforming capacities and mechanisms. The result is an invaluable and instructive reference for all oncologists, microbiologists and molecular biologists working in the area of infections and cancer. The author was among the first scientists to reveal the cervical cancer-inducing mechanisms of human papilloma viruses and isolated HPV16 and HPV18, and, as early as 1976, published the hypothesis that wart viruses play a role in the development of this type of cancer.

Research on oncogenic viruses and related human cancers has advanced rapidly in the past decade. Most articles, however, focus on a specific oncogenic virus and cancer. There is consequently a need for a comprehensive, up-to-date monograph that offers broad and integrated knowledge. Viruses and Human Cancer – From Basic Science to Clinical Prevention is designed to meet this need by providing an advanced overview on the basic and clinical aspects of oncogenic viruses and the human cancers that they cause. Virology, virus-induced inflammation and tissue injuries, oncogenic mechanisms, epidemiology, and current and emerging preventive and therapeutic strategies are all discussed in detail. In addition, the book covers the individual aspects of seven oncogenic viruses, i.e., hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human papilloma virus, Epstein-Barr virus, human T-cell lymphotropic virus, Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus, and Merkel cell polyomavirus, and the related human cancers.

In recent years, a number of chronic diseases have been linked, in some cases definitively, to an infectious etiology: peptic ulcer disease with Helicobacter pylori, cervical cancer with several human papillomaviruses, Lyme arthritis and neuroborreliosis with Borrelia burgdorferi, AIDS with the human immunodeficiency virus, liver cancer and cirrhosis with hepatitis B and C viruses, to name a few. The proven and suspected roles of microbes does not stop with physical ailments; infections are increasingly being examined as associated causes of or possible contributors to a variety of serious, chronic neuropsychiatric disorders and to developmental problems, especially in children. The Infectious Etiology of Chronic Diseases: Defining the Relationship, Enhancing the Research, and Mitigating the Effects, summarizes a two-day workshop held by the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats to address this rapidly evolving field. Participants explored factors driving infectious etiologies of chronic diseases of prominence, identified difficulties in linking infectious agents with chronic outcomes, and discussed broad-based strategies and research programs to advance the field.

Is cancer a contagious disease? In the late nineteenth century this idea, and attending efforts to identify a cancer “germ,” inspired fear and ignited controversy. Yet speculation that cancer might be contagious also contained a kernel of hope that the strategies used against infectious diseases, especially vaccination, might be able to subdue this dread disease. Today, nearly one in six cancers are thought to have an infectious cause, but the path to that understanding was twisting and turbulent. ​ A Contagious Cause is the first book to trace the century-long hunt for a human cancer virus in America, an effort whose scale exceeded that of the Human Genome Project. The government’s campaign merged the worlds of molecular biology, public health, and military planning in the name of translating laboratory discoveries into useful medical therapies. However, its expansion into biomedical research sparked fierce conflict. Many biologists dismissed the suggestion that research should be planned and the idea of curing cancer by a vaccine or any other means as unrealistic, if not dangerous. Although the American hunt was ultimately fruitless, this effort nonetheless profoundly shaped our understanding of life at its most fundamental levels. A Contagious Cause links laboratory and legislature as has rarely been done before, creating a new chapter in the histories of science and American politics.

This book offers a state-of-the-art report on recent discoveries concerning viral, bacterial, and parasite infectious cancers. Cancer is one of the most common causes of death and diseases in human populations, and 15%-25% of human cancers in worldwide are considered to result from chronic infection by pathogens. Most oncology textbooks address genetic mutation, but not infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria and parasites. As such this book stimulates further research in the new area between cancers and chronic infection, and discusses the epidemiology and molecular biology of infectious causes of cancers. It also explores the prevention and treatment of infection-related cancers, and brings pathogenic research to the forefront in the never-ending endeavor to understand how pathogens maneuver and negotiate in a complex environment, including the micro/macro- environment of the human host. Further, it highlights the urgent need for a concerted program to develop vaccines and other diagnosis and interventions that will eventually help prevent and treat infectious cancers, and decrease their burden on human populations. It offers graduate students and researchers a comprehensive overview of the infectious causes of cancers.

Historically, the study of infection has focused on acute illnesses and their treatment. Infection, however, is not simply an acute process; microbial agents thrive in the human body throughout life. The unrecognized, intimate relationship we share with microorganisms is a critical factor in longevity and health. In recent years, it has become apparent that some cancers may be attributable to underlying chronic infection. Fortunately, infectious diseases are often treatable or preventable. Also, the composition of infectious agents is far less complex than that of humans. Thus the link between infection and cancer may offer insight into the pathogenesis and prevention of all cancers. This book, authored by some of the world's leaders in microbiology, virology, biochemistry, and pathology, provides an overview of oncogenic mechanisms imputed to infection. Individual chapters examine the epidemiologic, clinical and molecular links between specific infectious agents and cancer, and address methods of disease prevention. Microbiologists, cancer biologists, pathologists, oncologists, and infectious disease specialists interested in the etiology of malignancy will find this book an indispensable addition to their libraries.