Foreword
Four internationally renowned experts in fungal pathogens have edited this commendable multi-authored book on fungal infections in animals and emerging zoopathogenic fungi. The seriousness of fungal diseases in humans has long been underestimated compared to viral and bacterial diseases for various reasons, but the fungal diseases in animals have been neglected even more despite recent warning on how fungal diseases can wreak havoc on certain animals such as amphibians worldwide.
It is a timely publication providing an in-depth discernment on epidemics and emerging fungal diseases in domestic as well as various wild animals. The first comprehensive book on fungal diseases in animals was published in 1955 by G.C. Ainsworth and P.K.C. Austwick. A couple more have followed but this book is long overdue in order to bring the subject up to date in this ever changing environment.This book is organized in four parts consisting of 16 chapters: Part I has two chapters. The first chapter provides basic information on categories of pathogenic species and species that cause epidemics in the Kingdom Fungi. The second chapter details epidemiological definitions, terminology and classifications of fungal infections in animal. Part II describes seven mycoses and the etiologic agents that cause infections both in man and animals. Part II starts with dermatophytoses, a superficial fungal disease and six systemic infections all caused by fungi belonging to Ascomycota. Part III contains six chapters that focus on the emerging animal diseases although some of them such as sporotrichosis, cryptococcosis and aspergillosis are also important diseases in man. Part III is particularly important since it contains diseases of lower animals such as chytridiomycosis in amphibians caused by Batrachochytrium spp. and other important fungal diseases that can cause serious damage to the ecosystem. Part IV contains a single chapter describing antifungal therapy for animal mycoses and how resistance to antifungal drugs has been emerging.
It is noteworthy that many chapters in the book present very useful simple diagrams that chronologically depict the milestone discoveries in the progress of our understanding of the diseases and their etiologic agents.
I believe this book addresses a wide range of audiences beyond pathogenic mycologists, veterinary mycologists, infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists. I hope this book will also be received with enthusiasm by those who care about animal welfare and the health of our ecosystem.
Molecular Microbiology Section Kyung J. Kwon-Chung
Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Bethesda, MD
USA