Book review

A planet of viruses
Carl Zimmer University of Chicago Press. Chicago, Illinois, USA. 2011. 128 pp. $20.00. ISBN: 978-0-226-98335-6 (hardcover).

Reviewed by Lawrence T. Feldman

Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA. E-mail: LFeldman@mednet.ucla.edu

irusesareallaroundus,inthewater wedrink,intheoceansweswimin,andin manyunlikelyplaces.CarlZimmerstarts hisbookofessays,A Planet of Viruses,by takingusdeepintotheCaveofCrystals inaremoteprovinceofMexico.Inaplace inwhichthereareenormouscrystalsbut littleapparentlife,heshowsthatsamples ofthewatertakenin2009revealedthe presenceofmillionsofviruses.Thestory is typical of this charming little book, whichisfullofinterestinganecdotesand contains many facts uncovered in just the lastfew years.This bookis an easy readforthelayperson,brokenintosmall chapters, each featuring its own virus. Yet it was also fun and informative for me,for,whileIknewmuchofthisbefore, Zimmerwasabletosurprisemewitha fewfascinatingnuggetsIhadnotprevi ouslyknown. Intheintroduction,weemergefromthe CaveofCrystalstotravelbackintimeto the classic discovery of tobacco mosaic virusbyBeijerinckatendofthe19thcen tury. Zimmer seamlessly introduces the ideaoffilteringofthevirustodistinguish itfromabacterialcell,aconceptyouwould findinanycollegecourseinvirology. Followingthisintroductiontowhata virusis,Zimmerdivideshispresentation intothreesections.InOld Companions,we getadescriptionofrhinovirus,thecause ofthecommoncold,froma3,500yearold Egyptianmedicaltext.Thisisfollowedby aninterestingchapteroninfluenzavirus, in which we get a very understandable descriptionoftheprocessofreassortment,

somewhat unique to influenza, which contributes to the great genetic diver sityofflustrains.Zimmerdescribesreas sortmentasaviralversionofsex.Inthis theme,thethirddescriptionisofhuman papillomavirus.Againwearetreatedtoa story,thisoneabouthornsonrabbits,as ZimmerunwindsthestoryofShopepapil lomavirus,discoveredbyRichardShopeof TheRockefellerUniversity.Wethenlearn aboutthehumanstrainsandzurHausens discoverythatsomeofthesecausecervical cancerinwomen. In Everywhere, In All Things, Zimmer takesusintotheworldofbacteriophages, thevirusesthatinfectbacterialcells.He recountsthestoryofFelixdHerelleand hisattemptduringWorldWarItocure dysentery with phages. He then relates thehistoricalscientificdisputebetween dHerelleandBordet,regardingwhether the effects of phage were biological or chemicalinnature,beforedescribingthe currentattemptstousephagestokillbac teria.Thissectionalsocoversthegroup ofmarinephages.Onesentencecontains thestaggeringnumberofphagesinthe ocean,anumberwithtoomanyzerosto comprehend.Ifoundmyselftryingtofig ureoutwhatthenumberwouldbecalled. Whatcomesafterabillion(109)isatril lion(1012),andafterthatisaquadrillion (1015).Iwontspoilitbytellingyouhow manylogsshortmyguesswas,butitwas many.Wealsolearnabouttheeffectsof phagesonsuchprocessesasphotosynthe sisaswellascholeraepidemics.Thefinal groupdiscussedaretheendogenousretro

viruses,andwelearnaboutalltheviral junkDNAwithinourgenome. ThefinalsectioniscalledThe Viral Future andcontainsthediscoveryofHIVinLos Angelesin1983andthefindingofWest NilevirusindeadanimalsintheBronx Zoo.Zimmerswritingisagaininstructive, asWestNileVirusisaclassicexampleofa virustransmittedbyinsects(mosquitoes). Thisisfollowedbyadescriptionofthe SARSepidemicthatbeganinlate2002 andcommentsaboutEbolavirusinAfri caandNipahvirusinSoutheastAsia.Of course,nobookonviruseswouldbecom pletewithoutadescriptionofsmallpox virus,andZimmergoesoverthefamiliar storiesofJennerandthemilkmaid,end ingwiththeeradicationofsmallpoxbya largevaccinationprogram. Theepiloguecontainsadescriptionof thediscoveryofMimivirus,avirusofalgae thatisonehundredtimesofsizeofother virusesandmaychallengetheviewthat virusesarenotlivingthings. Allwithinonehundredpagesorso,Zim mertreatsustoacomprehensiveseriesof anecdotesthatrevealthediversityofvirol ogyonearth.Fromthestudyofoceanic samplestothefindingofviralDNAinour lungs,fromthevirusesintegratedintoour chromosomestothosethatcausecancer, thetalesinthisbookwillbeofinterestto anyonewithaninterestinscienceandare relatedinaneasytoreadstylethatrequires no prior knowledge in biology. I would expectittoalsobeofinteresttomedical studentsandawiderangeofhealthcare professionals.Itwasafunread.

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The Journal of Clinical Investigation http://www.jci.org Volume121 Number11 November2011