Viral metagenomics : Methods and protocols
Expands on the previous edition with discussions about the latest viral metagenomics aspects covering a range of different specimens such as soil, freshwater, wastewater, fecal samples, blood plasma, clinical tissues, fungi, and herbarium samples. Chapters also look at different viral groups including archaeal viruses, eukaryotic viruses, phages, mycoviruses, and circular DNA viruses. Techniques required for studying the three viral metagenomic steps of samples processing, library construction, and analysis of data are also discussed. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.
Hepatitis Delta Virus ; Vol. 307
Since its discovery nearly 30 years ago, hepatitis delta virus (HDV) has continued to surprise and fascinate. At 1,680 nucleotides the HDV genome is the smallest known to infect man. It is unique among animal viruses, the closest known relatives being plant viroids. To compensate for its limited protein coding capacity, HDV relies heavily on host functions and on structural features of its circular RNA genome. HDV infection depends on hepatitis B virus as a helper, and increases the severity of liver disease caused by HBV alone. There is currently neither an effective HDV vaccine nor a generally accepted useful therapy for HDV infection. This volume encompasses recent developments in HDV research, from molecular virology to genetics to experimental investigation of new therapeutic and vaccine candidates.

