Medical Entomology for Students 3rd Edn. By M. W. Service, pp. 285. Cambridge University Press UK, 2004. ISBN 0 521 54775 X. £27.00. (US $48.00)

Extract

Four years on from the 2nd Edition of this useful introductory text this book remains good value at a modest price rise of only £5.00. In twenty chapters Professor Service follows his well-worked and consistent pattern in each chapter by describing the morphology of each group of vectors, followed by life-cycle, medical importance and control. The further reading information provided at the end of each chapter has been updated wherever relevant. In addition, as an aide-mémoire to revising, certain key words now appear in bold. In many groups, new information is provided on the numbers of species now described. In the case of mosquitoes this is now 3300, an increase of 100 and there are now 4 further genera including Ochlerotatus, a previous subgenus of Aedes. Outstanding developments in control include the innovative development of manufactured bed nets that are impregnated with synthetic pyrethroids, which are designed to release the active molecule over periods as long as four years. Mike Service is, however, cautious, and warns that despite our great hopes for this new development, the incidence of resistance to pyrethroids is a realistic potential threat to its success. In similar vein it is noted that mosquitoes in the laboratory have been observed to develop resistance to the bacterial insecticides Bacillus thuringiensis and B. sphaericus. This has not as yet proved to be a problem in the field with mosquitoes, but experience with agricultural pests, such as the diamondback moth, indicates the need for vigilance.