The diagnosis of infectious agents in humans and animals and the detection of pathogens in food and water are not without problems and often difficult to validate. The methods currently in use range from simple, easily managed, and routine techniques to extremely complex cutting edge technologies of modern molecular biology and high-throughput miniaturized methods. There is a clear need for rapid, accurate, and unambiguous results. This volume considers the principles behind such diverse methods and describes in some detail how diagnostic and detection methods are employed. The first section...

Toxocara is a parasitic helminth worm which continues to stimulate both public concern and scientific interest. Toxocara canis and T.cati, the most studied species, are gastrointestinal parasites of dogs and cats and their eggs can contaminate the environment, thus exposing humans and other mammals and birds to infection. Many questions remain unanswered about the host-parasite relationship, its epidemiology and public health significance. Veterinarians and clinicians are interested in its importance as a zoonosis. The parasite's capacity to cause ocular disease is of concern to...