This book brings together expert opinions from scientists to consider the evidence for climate change and its impacts on ticks and tick-borne infections. It considers what is meant by 'climate change', how effective climate models are in relation to ecosystems, and provides predictions for changes in climate at global, regional and local scales relevant for ticks and tick-borne infections. It examines changes to tick distribution and the evidence that climate change is responsible. The eff...

Results of regular monitoring of the species diversity and structure of plant communities is used by conservation biologists to help understand impacts of perturbations caused by humans and other environmental factors on ecosystems worldwide. Changes in plant communities can, for example, be a reflection of increased levels of pollution, a response to long-term climate change, or the result of shifts in land-use practices by the human population. This book presents a series of essays on th...

Emerging and re-emerging pathogens pose several challenges to diagnosis, treatment, and public health surveillance, primarily because pathogen identification is a difficult and time-consuming process due to the “novel” nature of the agent. Proper identification requires a wide array of techniques, but the significance of these diagnostics is anticipated to increase with advances in newer molecular and nanobiotechnological interventions and health information technology.Human Em...

A timely exploration of the impact of global change on the emergence, reemergence, and control of vector-borne and zoonotic viral infectionsFrom massively destructive "superstorms" to rapidly rising sea levels, the world media is abuzz with talk of the threats to civilization posed by global warming. But one hazard that is rarely discussed is the dramatic rise in the number and magnitude of tropical virus outbreaks among human populations. One need only consider re...

Comprehensively explores sexually transmitted diseases, from epidemiology, causative pathogens, clinical impact, and immunology, to management strategies utilizing new strategies of genomics and next-generation diagnostic toolsSexually transmitted infections (STI) are very common worldwide. More than 20 different STIs have been identified, and about 19 million men and women are infected each year in the United States alone. This book looks at the complete picture o...