This volume consists of 78 chapters that give an overview of the development of virology during the last ten years.  Chapters discuss general topics such as the nature, origin, phylogeny and evolution of viruses and describe the history of virology.  The current official taxonomy and classification of viruses is presented based on the 8th Report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses published in 2005. Entries also summarize the considerable progress in our understanding of the structure and assembly of virus particles and describes how this knowledge  was obtained using a variety of techniques. The next section is devoted to the genetic material of viruses. Viral pathogenesis and current advances in the development of antival compounds are described as well as methods used in disease surveillance and in the diagnosis of viral infections and aspects of immune response. The most comprehensive single-volume source providing an overview of virology to non-specialists Bridges the gap between basic undergraduate texts and specialized reviews Concise and general overviews of important topics within the field will help when preparing for lectures, writing reports, or drafting grant applications