Guide to Clinical and Diagnostic Virology

The explosion in clinical testing has been especially rapid in virology, where emerging viruses and growing numbers of viral infections are driving advances. The Guide to Clinical and Diagnostic Virology offers a digestible view of the breadth and depth of information related to clinical virology, providing a practical, working knowledge of the wide array of viruses that cause human disease.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Foundations of Clinical Virology  1. Introduction to Viruses Virus structure, life cycle, Baltimore classification, figures of DNA and RNA virus classification, transmission, nomenclature  2. Laboratory Diagnosis of Viral Infections Differential diagnosis for viral syndromes, specimen collection, comparison of diagnostic techniques Section 2: Viral Pathogens and Clinical Presentation  3. Respiratory Viruses Influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumonvirus, rhinovirus, coronavirus, mumps virus, diagram of seasonality  4. Viruses with Dermatologic Manifestations Herpes simplex virus, varicella-zoster virus, measles virus, rubella virus, human herpesviruses 6 and 7, molluscum contagiosum, smallpox virus, figure of viral rashes, description and comparison of herpesviruses 1 to -8  5. Gastrointestinal and Fecal-Oral Hepatitis Viruses Rotavirus, norovirus, astrovirus, sapovirus, HAV, HEV, diagram of seasonality  6. Viruses That Can Cause Multiple Syndromes Enterovirus and parechovirus, adenovirus, parvovirus B19, human bocavirus  7. Opportunistic, Transplant-Associated Viruses Cytomegalovirus, BK virus, JC virus  8. Blood-Borne Hepatitis Viruses Hepatitis B, C, and D viruses, and comparison of hepatitis viruses A through E  9. Human Retroviruses HIV, HTLV-1/-2  10. Oncogenic Viruses HPV, EBV, HHV-8  11. Zoonotic Viruses Rabies virus, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Lassa virus, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic virus, hantavirus, lymphochoriomeningitis virus, monkeypox virus, herpes B virus, Hendra virus, Nipah virus, comparison of zoonotic viruses  12. Arboviruses Mosquitoes, ticks, dengue virus, yellow fever virus, chikungunya virus, West Nile virus, eastern, western and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses, Japanese encephalitis virus, Powassan virus, comparison of arboviruses Section 3: Diagnostic Assays and Techniques  13. Culture- and Tissue-Based Diagnostic Techniques Conventional viral culture and cell lines, viral growth rates, hemagglutination, quantification of plaques, histology/cytology, histologic and cytologic images of virally infected cells  14. Diagnostic Techniques Based on Immunological Interactions Kinetics of immune responses, interpreting serologic results, antigen and antibody detection, ELISA and chemiluminescent immunoassay, immunohistochemistry, immunoblots, immunofluorescence, lateral-flow assay, comparison of immunologic assays  15. Molecular Techniques: Nucleic Acid Amplification Basics of nucleic acids, nucleic acid amplification, PCR, RT-PCR, real-time PCR, quantitative PCR, melt curve analysis, viral loads, droplet digital PCR, nested PCR, multiplex PCR, transcription-mediated amplification, controls, contamination  16. Molecular Techniques: Sequencing Sequencing terminology, applications, procedures, platforms (Sanger, NGS, Illumina, SMRT, Ion Torrent), data analysis, comparison of platforms Section 4: Prevention and Management of Viral Infections  17. Biosafety Biosafety levels, select agents, reportable diseases, PPE, techniques, biosafety cabinets, isolation precautions  18. Vaccines Active and passive immunity, intravenous immunoglobulin, types of vaccines, delivery, complications, antibody dependent enhancement, table of available viral and other vaccines, diagram of routine vaccination schedule  19. Antivirals Antivirals against herpesviruses, influenza virus, RSV, hepatitis C, other compounds, antiretrovirals and antivirals with broad coverage, mechanisms of action Section 5: The Regulatory Environment for Laboratory Testing  20. Regulatory Requirements Classification of assays by the FDA, test complexity, regulatory agencies, CLIA, inspections, proficiency testing, billing and coding  21. Assay Performance and Interpretation Validation/verification, performance characteristics (precision, accuracy, reportable range, reference range), diagnostic, clinical and analytic sensitivity and specificity, prevalence, predictive value, ROC curves

REVIEW

Reeti Khare’s Guide to Clinical and Diagnostic Virology uses simple language in an abbreviated format to describe the general characteristics, epidemiology, clinical disease, and diagnostic approaches for all the important viruses of human disease. It has numerous figures and tables that aid in understanding basic concepts in clinical virology. In addition, each chapter ends with a series of review questions so students can self-assess their understanding of the material covered in that chapter. This book is at an introductory level ideal for pre-health students as well as medical, dental, nursing, and physician assistant students who do not have a formal course in microbiology but want a rapid review of clinical virology in preparation for their board examinations. -Peter H. Gilligan, PhD, Professor of Pathology-Laboratory Medicine and Microbiology-Immunology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine