This basic but comprehensive text is aimed at all healthcare professionals who need a clear understanding of medical virology. Written by two highly experienced virologists, the book is divided into five sections: 1) Individual viruses; 2) Other related agents; 3) Clinical syndromes; 4) Diagnostic techniques; 5) Patient management. The individual virus chapters provide information on incubation period, infectivity, control of infection and management. The clinical syndrome chapters provide information on the clinical presentation of disease, thus enabling the reader to search according to patient symptoms rather than referring to several individual virus chapters. The standard chapter formats, simple language and liberal use of tables, figures and algorithms enable quick access to key information, and the comprehensive coverage of all viral agents is unique in a practical guide of this size.