Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases was launched in 1987 in response to the ever increasing volume of literature published each year in the subject, and has become an internationally renowned source of critical review material. The journal has achieved this with the guidance of the Editors, Professor Roger G. Finch (UK) and Dr Vincent T. Andriole (US), and with its unique systematic coverage of the world literature. The developments in each of 13 specific aspects of infectious diseases are covered in depth each year with a series of commissioned review articles; the review topics and authors are selected by acknowledged experts in the field. Professor Finch, Dr Andriole and the Editorial Board continually oversee and update the editorial structure and scope of the journal, ensuring that it remains a high quality international publication.

Each review article contains indicators referring the reader to the references that are considered by the author to be of greatest interest, and each issue of this bimonthly journal is supplemented by the Current World Literature, an exhaustive bibliographic database which its tailored specifically to cover the entire field of infectious diseases.

In addition to its systematic review of the past year's literature for 1997, the 10th anniversary of the journal, we have introduced Special Commentaries. These papers are commissioned to contribute towards or pre-empt a debate.