K. J. Kwon-Chung and John E. Bennett. 375 pages. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger; 1992. $69.50.

Medical management of patients with fungal infections requires not only a knowledge of their clinical course and multisystem manifestations but also the ability to interpret pathologic specimens and mycologic smears and cultures. Although textbooks of medicine have recently devoted more space to these infections, a textbook of medical mycology is the source for specific information on clinical and cultural characteristics of these pathogens. The standard for the microbiologic characteristics of these pathogens is the new text by Kwon-Chung and Bennett. This updated version was edited previously by Emmons, Binford, Utz, and Kwon-Chung. It has been significantly altered, however, to reflect molecular and clinical knowledge on various fungi.

This edition is particularly thorough in the general description of fungal groups as well as in the specific detail on individual organisms. In each chapter, the authors have provided a good historical review with up-to-date information on the present status of each pathogen. The clinical section provides a comprehensive bibliography and thorough review of the known literature on each entity. Such a complete discussion reflects the encyclopedic knowledge of fungal infections of Dr. Bennett. Many specific examples are given of his reasoned approach to diagnosis and therapy of complicated cases. The mycology section is reasonably complete for a laboratory to use it in evaluation of smears and cultures. One fine feature of the book is the extremely useful information on how to collect specimens, with excellent specific examples given on processing material. The histopathologic table has good details on characteristics of each organism listed. The chapters on specific fungi are given in alphabetical order with serious attention to all the major categories of cutaneous and systemic fungi. The chapter on antifungal chemotherapy is up to date as of press time and is supplemented by specific information for each fungal entity.

The book also provides information on environmental exposure to specific fungi. However, the general chapter on epidemiology has sparse information about contaminated soil in the environment with some medicolegal citings on hospital outbreaks after construction. More meaningful summary descriptions of specific fungi would be useful here, in addition to the information provided in the separate chapters for each fungi. In fact, a longer description is given to the possible contamination of cultures by mites in the mycology laboratory than is given to the medical consequences of environmental exposure in this chapter.

This book is useful for any practitioner (internists or specialists, but especially dermatologists) likely to see a patient with fungal infection. It is a must for individuals caring for patients with transplants, AIDS, or those on chronic steroid administration. It should be on the shelves of any pathologist who reviews special stains and distinguishes between various fungi as well as of any mycology section of a microbiology laboratory. Any hospital processing clinical specimens for fungi should have this book in readiness because of its fine section on handling of specimens. The authors have done us a favor by adding to the many illustrations and mycologic descriptions of one of the great American mycologists, Chester Emmons. This book is in a class by itself because of the combination of complete clinical information and thorough mycologic description. Compared with other medical textbooks, it comes with a wealth of material at warehouse prices.