HIV and the Pathogenesis of AIDS, 3rd Edition Doody's Expert Review Review Questionnaire ISBN: 9781555813932 ISBN-10: 1555813933 Copyright: 2007 Edition: 3rd Author: Levy, Jay A. Doody's Expert Review    Score: 97 Doody's Star Rating™ and Doody's Expert Review provide by Doody Enterprises, Inc. Reviewer: Mark Goodman,  MD  (Creighton University Medical Center) Description The author includes a small history chapter in this third edition, but most of the book concentrates on the cellular biology of HIV, finishing with chapters on treatment and vaccine development. The second edition was published 10 years ago. Purpose The purpose "is to provide a resource for clinicians, researchers, health care providers and students." The book is the most comprehensive biological treatise on HIV that I have read, but has less emphasis on the clinical care of people living with HIV/AIDS. Therefore, it appears to be directed more at researchers and students and less at clinicians and HIV care providers. Audience This will be of tremendous interest to cellular biologists and researchers, with perhaps less utility to clinicians and HIV care providers. The author is a legend in HIV discovery and care. Features The author provides a comprehensive look at HIV transmission, cellular interactions, immune responses, development of malignancy in an HIV-affected immune system, and spends some time on novel therapies and vaccine development. The most interesting reading for me, however, was the end of each chapter, where "Salient Features" provides a summary. The photos and brief biographies of AIDS pioneer researchers in each chapter are very interesting, and provide a humanistic point of view on this subject. From my point of view, the only shortcoming of the book is its very microbiological focus. Assessment This is a powerful resource, well referenced, and very up to date. It represents exhaustive work by Dr. Levy and others, and is likely to be found on the bookshelf of serious practitioners and researchers in HIV care. Review Questionnaire Range Question Score 1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 8 1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 10 1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5 1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5 1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5 1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 5 1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 5 1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. 5 1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. 5 1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5 1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 5 1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 5 1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 5 1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book N/A 1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 10 1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? 10 ©2010 Doody Enterprises, Inc.