Mycoplasmas: Molecular Biology, Pathogenicity, and Strategies for Controls Edited by Alain Blanchard and Glenn Browning Norfolk, United Kingdom: Horizon Biosciences, 2005. 600 pp., illustrated. $179.95 (cloth)

This book provides a detailed examination of the molecular biology, cellular biology, pathogenicity, and impact on disease of mycoplasmas. Importantly, this text encompasses the entire spectrum of mycoplasmas, ranging from Spiroplasma species to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. In addition, both animal and human Mycoplasma-related diseases are included. The chapter authors are global experts in their fields. This book offers in-depth discussions on the topics presented; however, this field is rapidly expanding, and new data of interest has already appeared in the literature (as expected). Although the text is complete, additional illustrations would make it more user-friendly. Investigation regarding the molecular biology of Mollicutes has been fruitful. The authors of the section titled “Molecular Biology” provide a meticulous summation of this area of research and include a chapter on bioinformatic resources that can be used by microbiologists interested in the genomics of mycoplasmas. The recombination and repair mechanisms of mycoplasmas are examined, as far as they can be deduced from the genes identified in their genomes. The section “Cell Biology” explores the gliding motility of Mycoplasma, the motility and chemotaxis of Spiroplasma, and the organization of the Mycoplasma attachment organelle, as well as cell division. This section emphasizes many cellular aspects that distinguish mycoplasmas from other microorganisms. Also, important milestones in proteomic analysis of mycoplasmas are addressed. The chapter by Ken Waites and Deborah Talkington does an excellent job of presenting the data behind new developments in Mycoplasma-related disease in humans. The information on the relationship between M. pneumoniae and asthma is noteworthy, as is the new data concerning M. pneumoniae and encephalitis. Data on urogenital Mycoplasma infections are presented, and the discussion on Mycoplasma genitalium as a human pathogen is pertinent. A specific strength of this book is the attention given to mycoplasmosis in animals. Chapters on the diagnosis of infection in animals, emerging infections in wildlife, and biodiversity and molecular epidemiology are of interest. The text details how understanding the ability of mycoplasmas to diversify their surface components during infection and to reside and persist intracellularly in a host holds great potential for explaining persistent infection and associations with chronic disease in animals and humans. The chapter by Jerry Simecka on immune responses to infection with Mycoplasma species is particularly well written and well organized. This chapter provides a complete base on which the reader can expand his or her knowledge of immunity to Mycoplasma infection as future developments occur. The presentation of the cellular host response to Mycoplasma infection is a strong point of this chapter. The strength of the chapter on antimicrobials is the discussion of mutations and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in mycoplasmas. Vaccine control of mycoplasmosis, especially in domestic animals, is well addressed in another chapter. Discussions regarding the diagnosis and treatment of Mycoplasma-related disease in humans would have been a useful addition to this text. Overall, this book can be recommended as a primary text that covers the many aspects of mycoplasmology.