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Gene Technology in the Etiology of Drug-resistant Diseases (No. 2)

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USD 12.00 Publisher: TWN
ISBN: 983-9747-35-5
Year: 1998
No. of pages: 112
Size of book: 14.5cm x 21cm
Author: Mae-Wan Ho, Terje Traavik, Orjan
About the Book

A major world public health crisis is looming as outbreaks of new and re-emerging infectious diseases occur with increasing frequency, accompanied by the emergence of drug- and antibiotic-resistant pathogen strains.

Co-authored by several scientists, this study examines the possible connection between the worrying world health situation and the development of genetic engineering biotechnology. Genetic engineering, involving as it does artificially recombining and manipulating genes from unrelated species, facilitates horizontal gene transfer. It is such transfer and recombination events among bacteria and viruses which have generally been recognized to be responsible for the evolution of virulence and the spread of drug and antibiotic resistance.

The need for an enquiry into the possible contribution of genetic engineering biotechnology to the etiology of infectious diseases assumes greater urgency in the light of the inadequacy of present regulatory guidelines, the untested assumptions on which they are largely based having been invalidated by recent scientific findings. In addressing concerns which, if unattended to, could herald a global health disaster, this paper constitutes a timely contribution to the scientific inquiry and discussion of what is a highly important subject.


About the Author

Mae-Wan Ho is a British scientist, Reader in Biology at the Open University, UK and a fellow of the US National Genetics Foundation.

Terje Traavik is a virologist in the University of Tromso, Norway, and advisor to the Norwegian Government on biosafety.

Orjan Olsvik is a microbial geneticist in the University of Tromso, Norway.

Tore Midtvedt is a medical microbial ecologist in Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, who edits the journal, Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease.

Beatrix Tappeser is Head of Institute for Applied Ecology, Freiburg, Germany, which has produced expert reports for the German Government on biosafety.

C. Vyvyan Howard is a toxicologist in the University of Liverpool, UK, and a member of the UK Parliamentary and Scientific Committee.

Christine von Weizsacker is Vice-chair of the Advisory Board German Consumer Testing Foundation; and is also an environmental consultant.

George C. McGavin is an entomologist and assistant curator of the Museum of Natural History, Oxford University, UK.


Contents

Preface

Executive Summary

Chapter 1. The World Health Crisis

Chapter 2. Antibiotics and Emerging Pathogens

Chapter 3. Origins of Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Chapter 4. "Random" versus "Directed" Mutations

Chapter 5. "Natural" Genetic Engineering and "Adaptive Mutations"

Chapter 6. Horizontal Gene Transfer

Chapter 7. Mechanisms of Horizontal Gene Transfer

Chapter 8. Horizontal Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance Genes

Chapter 9. Horizontal Gene Transfer and the Emergence of New and Old Virulent Strains

Chapter 10. Has the Frequency of Horizontal Gene Transfers Increased Recently?

Chapter 11. Biological Containment May be Ineffective

Chapter 12. Conclusion

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This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 18 January, 2012.


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