Larone's Medically Important Fungi (eBook)

Davise H. Larone is well known as the originator of the book that many readers have come to rely upon for assistance in the accurate identification of fungi from patient specimens, a key step in treating mycotic infections. Dr. Larone has now been joined by Thomas J. Walsh and Randall T. Hayden to update this gold standard reference while retaining the format that has made this guide so popular for more than 40 years.

This well-established manual has really
withstood the test of time, evolving through the last four decades. It first
came out in 1976, and the edition prior to this one was published by the
American Society of Microbiology in 2011. This record demonstrates that it
fulfills a real need amongst medical mycologists; indeed, it is referred to in
the Preface as an "esteemed, beloved, and time-honored book" (p. xvii). This is
perhaps in no small measure because the authors are all hospital or medical
college based and at the sharp end of diagnosis of conditions due to fungi.
They take a pragmatic approach and have endeavored to provide a manual that
provides as much as possible to make this a one-stop-shop for clinicians and
laboratory technicians -- taking them as far as they can and then with
information on how to proceed with "rare or atypical fungi". Indeed, guidance
on the use of reference laboratories and how to safely package and transport material
appears right at the start of the book, followed by sections of safety
procedures to be followed and taxonomy and nomenclature. I was pleased to see
the issue of the need to be aware of cryptic species being flagged up, and that
the one-name-one-fungus decision had been embraced, albeit with the common
misunderstanding that this was effective from January 2013 rather than the
actual date of July 2011... While the book does perhaps have something of a
North American slant, for example not including species such as Neotestudina
rosatii, it is by far the best book on clinical mycology I am aware of tailored
for the hospital laboratory, providing a bridge between more superficial texts
and the monographic approach of the Atlas of Clinical Fungi...Davise Larone
should be very pleased to see the work she started so long ago going from
strength to strength, and continuing to fulfill a real need, as she commences
her 80th year.

-David Hawksworthlang=EN-CA>, excerpted from the full review in IMA Fungus Vol. 9, No. 2,
Book News"

REVIEW 2

Recognizing the increase in fungal
infections of humans and the decrease of formal training in mycology for
clinical laboratory personnel, the bench-side guide and teaching aid describes
the macroscopic and microscopic morphologies of cultured fungi as pertaining to
those on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Black and white images depict different types
of filamentous bacteria, yeasts, thermally dimorphic fungi, and thermally
monomorphic molds. A section on laboratory technique details lab procedures,
staining methods, and media preparation. The sixth edition adds an essay on
taxonomy and nomenclature, identifies emerging pathogens, and updates
technological advances in next-generation sequencing, real-time PCR, melt curve
analysis, and T2 magnetic resonance.

-PROTOVIEW (NO INDIVIDUAL REVIEWER
NOTED)