Palomino J.C., Leão S.C., Ritacco V. (eds.) Tuberculosis 2007. From basic science to patient care

TuberculosisTextbook.com, 2007. — 686 p.This book is the result of a joint effort in response to the Amedeo Challenge to write and publish a medical textbook on tuberculosis.
These innovations in the way of publication were translated to the organization of the chapters in the book. This is not a classical textbook on tuberculosis diagnosis, management, and treatment. On the contrary, it is a multidisciplinary approach addressing a full range of topics, from basic science to patient care. Most authors are former members of RELACTB — a Tuberculosis Research Network for Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe sponsored by the United Nations University — and have worked on collaborative projects since 1995.
Classical knowledge about the disease is focused on chapters dedicated to the history of tuberculosis, microbiology of the tubercle bacillus, description of the disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex members in adults, children, and HIV/AIDS patients, conventional epidemiology, diagnostics, biosafety, and treatment.
More recent findings, which have changed our knowledge about tuberculosis in the last years, are detailed in chapters on the molecular evolution of the M. tuberculosis complex, molecular epidemiology, host genetics, immune response and susceptibility to tuberculosis, studies on the pathogenesis of tuberculosis in animal models, and new diagnostic and drug resistance detection approaches.
Perspectives for future research relevant to fighting the disease have also been included in chapters focusing on the “omics” technologies, from genomics to proteomics, metabolomics and lipidomics, and on research dedicated to the development of new vaccines and new diagnostic methods, and are discussed in the last chapter.
Nowadays, medical science should not be limited to academic circles but readily translated into practical applications aimed at patient care and control of disease. Thus, we expect that our initiative will stimulate the interest of readers not only in solving clinical topics on the management of tuberculosis but also in posing new questions back to basic science, fostering a continuous bi-directional interaction of medical care, and clinical and basic research.Preface.
Contributing Authors.
Abbreviations.
History.
Molecular Evolution of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex.
The Basics of Clinical Bacteriology.
Genomics and Proteomics.
Immunology, Pathogenesis, Virulence.
Host Genetics and Susceptibility.
Global Burden of Tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis caused by Other Members of the Mtuberculosis Complex.
Molecular Epidemiology: Breakthrough.
Achievements and Future Prospects.
New Vaccines against Tuberculosis.
Biosafety and Hospital Control.
Conventional Diagnostic Methods.
Immunological Diagnosis.
New Diagnostic Methods.
Tuberculosis in Adults.
Tuberculosis in Children.
Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
Drugs and Drug Interactions.
Drug Resistance and Drug Resistance Detection.
New Developments and Perspectives.
References.
Index.