The first volume of the series entitled Comprehensive Virology was pub- lished in 1974 and the last is yet to appear. We noted in 1974 that virology as a discipline has passed through its descriptive and phenomenological phases and was joining the molecular biology revolution. The volumes published to date were meant to serve as an in-depth analysis and standard reference of the evolving field of virology. We felt that viruses as biological entities had to be considered in the context of the broader fields of mo- lecular and cellular biology. In fact, we felt then, and feel even more strongly...

A great truth is a truth whose opposite. is also a great truth. Thomas Mann (Essay on Freud, 1937) This volume centers on pseudorabies (PR V), herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), and human cytomegalovirus (CMV) and fulfills three objectives. The chapters on the epidemiology and latency of HSV, and on the glycoproteins specified by HSV and CMV, set the stage for the discussions of the immunobiology and pathogenesis of human herpesvirus infections in Volume 4. The epidemiology of HSV is the basis of our understanding of the spread and survival of this virus in the human...

'You damn sadist/said mr cummings 'you try to make people think. ' -Ezra Pound (Canto 89) What makes herpesviruses unique? It is certainly not the size of their genomes or the individual features of their reproductive cycle, although in toto striking features that are exclusive to the herpesviruses abound. Unquestionably, the pre-eminent feature is the relationship of herpes viruses with their natural hosts. As described in preceding volumes, all herpesviruses seem to be able to colonize and to remain in a latent, nonproductive form for life of their hosts. Once established in the host, the...

The first volume of the nineteen-volume series entitled Comprehensive Virology was published in 1974 and the last is yet to appear. We noted in 1974 that virology as a discipline had passed through its descriptive and phenomenological phases and was joining the molecular biology rev- olution. The volumes published to date were meant to serve as an in- depth analysis and standard reference of the evolving field of virology. We felt that viruses as biological entities had to be considered in the context of the broader fields of molecular and cellular biology. In fact, we felt then, and feel...