Ewald, P.: "The Evolution of Virulence," Scientific American, vol. 268, April 1993, pages 86-88. What makes a pathogen more of less virulent over time? The author explores the evolution of some common pathogens into dangerous nasties (such as HIV) or nonthreatening irritants (rhinoviruses).

Fincher, J.: "America’s Deadly Rendezvous with the ‘Spanish Lady’," Smithsonian, January 1989, pages 131–45. In 1918, before the end of World War I, the world found itself fighting a killer flu for which there was no cure.

Garrett, L: The Coming Plague, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, New York, 1994. Contains a frightening account of the development and spread of the Ebola virus.

Le Guenno, B: "Emerging Viruses," Scientific American, October 1995, pages 56–64. A frightening discussion of hemorrhagic fever viruses, about how new ones continually arise, and how their spread is facilitated.

O’Brien, S. and M. Dean: "In Search of AIDS-Resistance Genes," Scientific American, September 1997. A genetic allele that prevents HIV infection has been found. It encodes a defective cell surface receptor, and offers promising avenues of AIDS treatment.

Preston, R.: "Crisis in the Hot Zone," The New Yorker, vol. 68, October 26, 1992, pages 58–62. A very well written account of the frightening Ebola virus outbreak, a deadly disease imported accidentally by monkeys. Much media has been devoted to this outbreak, including a movie (Outbreak) and a best-selling book (The Hot Zone).

Prusiner, S.: "The Prion Diseases," Scientific American, January 1995, pages 48–57. Prions are infectious proteins. Once dismissed as an impossibility, they are now thought to cause a number of infectious diseases. This article, by their discoverer, recounts his investigation of these novel agents, for which he was awarded the 1997 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Tiollais, P., and M.Buendia: "Hepatitis B Virus," Scientific American, April 1991. An unusual virus causes liver disease and cancer. Hundreds of millions of people are affected.