example theileriosis (in cattle, sheep andgoats in Spain) and filariasis, caused byDirofilaria immitis, which is becomingan increasing problem in dogs insouthern Europe, with human cases alsohaving been reported.

Despite the highly informative natureof this book and the fact that it isexcellent with regards to contents andwording, the numerous errors in thesetting, printing and spelling, blurredphotos, as well as insufficiently markedfigures, are certainly a disappointmentin a book of this price. As errors can befound throughout the entire book, thefault does not appear to lie with theeditors, and it is hoped that more carefulproofreading sessions will be applied tothe next edition.

Torsten J. Naucke

Institute for Medical Parasitology,University of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Strasse25, D-53105 Bonn, Germany.e-mail: TJNaucke@aol.com

Modelling

echinostomes

Echinostomes as Experimental Models for

Biological Research

by B. Fried and T. Graczyk (eds), KluwerAcademic Publishers, 2000.£88.00/$150.00/NGL263.00 (hbk)(273 pages) ISBN 0 7923 6156 3

Although nobody is likely to name thegenus Echinostoma as the mostimportant among digenetic trematodes,one might be inclined to include it withSchistosoma and Fasciola in a ‘Top 3’ list.True, echinostomes lack the medical andveterinary importance of the Fasciola,however, they could serve as ‘model’trematodes. The current interpretationsof the systematics of theEchinostomatidae both reflect and arehindered by a rich history of descriptivebiology mirrored in other parasite taxa.Also, a great deal is known about theresponse elicited by a number ofEchinostoma spp. upon infection of theirfirst intermediate host snails. Finally,echinostome parasites are a componentof an interesting and relatively tractablesystem for studying host–parasiterelationships in the field. Naturally

infected snails are ubiquitous and the lifecycle is easily maintained in thelaboratory.

Echinostomes as Experimental Modelsfor Biological Research sets out tocompile the scattered information aboutdevelopments in organismal andmolecular parasitology that have beenachieved through studies ofechinostomes. For each of the topicscovered, the book seems to serve thispurpose. However, in attempting to covereach and every nuance of echinostomebiology, some of the chapters feel like apersonal research history of theauthor(s); in the most extreme case, theauthor was a contributor on 75% of thereferences. These chapters are not somuch cases of self-aggrandizement asthey are clear indications that someareas of echinostome biology have beenessentially the intellectual territory of asingle researcher. In fact, one couldargue that the editors have done well toobtain contributions from the currentexperts in these areas, as they provideboth a sense of history and unansweredquestions for the future. Each of theselected topics is well covered with anample supply of references, includingsome current advances, and descriptionsof work-in-progress.

Having said that, I was not entirelysatisfied with the choice of topics. For abook that purports to demonstrate theapplicability of echinostomes as modelorganisms in all areas of parasitology, toomany of the chapters give just the oppositeimpression. In these sections, thedescription of what is known aboutechinostomes has been supported byadmittedly little or no direct data, but isinstead inferred from our understandingof Schistosoma or Fasciola spp. This leadsthe reader to believe that, far from beingin the experimental vanguard,echinostome research simply involves theapplication of established techniques toyet another parasite taxon. There are,however, a few outstanding exceptions –in particular the chapter covering theimmunobiology of echinostome-infectedsnails – that clearly demonstrate theutility of echinostomes in advancing ourunderstanding of trematode biology.

My strongest criticism of the bookconcerns the area of echinostome biologythat was essentially ignored, that is,host–parasite ecology. The vast majorityof echinostomatids are apparently only

known from descriptive surveys but, for afew, we have detailed information abouttransmission in the field and the effectsof the parasites on natural hostpopulations. By not highlighting thisfacet of echinostomiasis, the editors haveprobably neglected an area of researchwith a bright and open future. Forinstance, what role do echinostomelarvae play in the parasite community oftheir snail hosts? This questioncontinues to have a direct and essentialapplicability in populations of planorbidsnails infected by echinostomes andhuman schistosomes.

Finally, for a book that will probablyfind its strongest audience amonggraduate and/or medical students with aspecific interest in incorporatingechinostomes into their research, it wouldseem prohibitively expensive. Also, thebook has a slightly unpolished feel, as if itwere 13 independent manuscripts thathad been bound together without anyattempt to provide continuity or a unifyingtheme other than a shared taxonomic bias(even the typeface and page formattingdiffer in a few of the chapters).

In closing, this book does not make astrong case for the use of echinostomes inpreference to any other taxa in biologicalresearch. Nevertheless, it does representa comprehensive review of many aspectsof echinostome biology, and demonstratesmany areas where more research isneeded to continue our understanding ofthese particular parasite taxa.

Jason Curtis

Biology/Chemistry Section, PurdueUniversity North Central, Westville, IN 46391-9542, USA.e-mail: c.curtis@lshtm.ac.uk

TRENDS in Parasitology Vol.17 No.1 January 2001

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