All procedures described in this practical laboratory manual contain the essential elements described in the National Committee on Clinical Laboratory Standards guidelines and also include quality assurance protocols. This laboratory manual is a step-by-step guide to the range of procedures, from routine to highly specialized, conducted in clinical virology laboratories. The book provides instructions on general laboratory procedures and detailed, specific protocols for the isolation and identification of individual viruses. Wherever possible, the authors describe tube culture, centrifugation-enhanced (shell vial), and direct fluorescent antibody procedures for detecting the virus under discussion. Photomicrographs are included in many chapters. For each virus, the book also presents a one-page "at a glance" summary of information on appropriate specimen selection, turnaround times for laboratory tests, immune responses during viral infection, and other questions commonly asked by physicians and nurses.