Summary
Also known as the bird flu, avian influenza is a disease that once infected only birds. However, the new avian flu virus that has emerged in Asia can be transferred from fowl to humans and has acquired the ability to infect humans with deadly results. As a result, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are closely monitoring what could be the next deadly flu pandemic. If this virus mutates further, it may acquire the ability to be transmitted from person to person. In Avian Flu, Second Edition students will learn about the symptoms and treatments of this disease, as well as the history of influenza that led to the current form.
About the Author(s)
Jeffrey N. Sfakianos, PhD, was trained as a virologist in the department of microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a postdoctoral fellow in the department of cell biology at Yale University, where he studied epithelial cell morphology and protein sorting. He has authored and coauthored more than 10 peer-reviewed manuscripts in the fields of virology, pharmacology, and cell biology. His hobbies include designing computer graphic animations of scientific mechanisms, such as assembly of virus capsids and drug-binding behaviors. Additionally, he enjoys riding mountain bikes and hiking with his family. Since 2015, Dr. Sfakianos is self-employed as an artificial intelligence and machine learning implementer in the San Francisco Bay area.
Alan I. Hecht, DC, is a practicing chiropractor in New York. He is also an adjunct professor at Farmingdale State College, the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University, and Nassau Community College. He teaches courses in medical microbiology, anatomy and physiology, comparative anatomy, human physiology, human nutrition, and embryology. In addition, he is the course coordinator for human biology at Hofstra University, where he is an adjunct associate professor. He is also course coordinator for graduate anatomy and physiology for medical physics at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Dr. Hecht received his BS in biology–pre-medical studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. He received his MS in basic medical sciences from New York University School of Medicine. He also received his doctor of chiropractic degree from New York Chiropractic College in Brookville, New York. Dr. Hecht is the recipient of the Chancellors's Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching from the State University of New York.