292 Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
Editors R.W. Compans, Atlanta/Georgia M.D. Cooper, Birmingham/Alabama T. Honjo, Kyoto · H. Koprowski, Philadelphia/Pennsylvania F. Melchers, Basel · M.B.A. Oldstone, La Jolla/California S. Olsnes, Oslo · M. Potter, Bethesda/Maryland P.K. Vogt, La Jolla/California · H. Wagner, Munich
Z.F. Fu (Ed.)
The World of Rhabdoviruses With 27 Figures and 7 Tables
123
Professor Dr. Zhen F. Fu, DVM, PhD Department of Pathology College of Veterinary Medicine University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602 USA e-mail:
[email protected]
Cover figure by Zhen F. Fu
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Preface
Rhabdoviruses have a very wide host range and have been isolated from plants, insects, and almost from all vertebrates including fish and primates. The Rhabdoviridae family consists of six genera which have all been associated with diseases, either in animals or plants. While rhabdoviruses that are the etiological agents of human diseases can cause serious public health problems, other members of this family that infect domestic livestock and agricultural plants can also cause enormous economic loss. Despite the significance of rhabdoviruses for public health and agriculture, the last book exclusively devoted to these viruses was published in 1987. The first classification of rhabdoviruses was based on the distinct bullet-shaped morphology that is characteristic of members of this family. However, using modern gene technology, which allows the complete analysis of entire viral genomes, it was recently found that diff