This is the fifth edition of Infectious Diseases of the Female Genital Tract, and to use the authors own words, it “comes at a critical time in obstetrics and gynecology and in medicine. The number one priority in medical care is patient safety, and chief among the priorities is the prevention and treatment of serious infections . . . and expanded concerns about emerging infections and antibiotic resistance.”
The current edition has 25 chapters, all easy to read and up to date, with a plethora of visuals. The chapters provide pertinent information about public health at the national, international, and global levels, including disease prevalence as well as health care burden and implications for prevention. Sections on pathophysiology are detailed enough to provide an up-to-date review for the recent medical school graduate but simple enough that even seasoned practitioners who have been away from basic science for some time can understand and refresh their memory and glean new insight into the evolving basic science understanding of some disease processes or treatment modalities. Some chapters are organized with the practitioner in mind and almost emulate the practice bulletins from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in which key clinical questions are asked and answered. Importantly, all sections include a specific portion dealing with pregnancy implications, risk of vertical transmission, and potential treatment (if applicable) during pregnancy.