Molecular Basis of Viral Infection

Virology is in a sense both one of the most important precursors and one of the most significant beneficiaries of structural and cellular molecular biology. Numerous breakthroughs in our understanding of the molecular interactions of viruses with host cells are ready for translation into medically important applications such as the prevention and treatment of viral infections. This book collects a wide variety of examples of frontline research into molecular aspects of viral infections from virological, immunological, cell- and molecular-biological, structural, and theoretical perspectives. Contributors are world leaders in their fields of study and represent prestigious academic and research institutionsReview articles vary vastly in scope: some focus on a narrowly defined scientific problem of one particular virus with careful introduction for the non-specialist; others are essays in general and comparative virology with forays into specific viral species or moleculesThe different perspectives complement each other and collectively the contributions provide an impression of the fast-moving frontlines of virology while showing how the problems have evolvedStructural data are presented through high-quality illustrations