The Microbial Challenge: Science, Disease and Public Health

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Whether we realize it or not, microbes play an ever-present role in our daily lives. Foodborne infections, epidemics and pandemics are frequently headline news. The Microbial Challenge: Science, Disease and Public Health, Second Edition, presents a fascinating look at human-microbe interactions and examines the disease producers while discussing how, with knowledge-based preparation, we can live in harmony with microbes. It also discusses the ways in which beneficial microbes are involved in the cycles of nature and in the food industry, and how they are used as research tools. Ideal for undergraduate nonscience majors and allied and public health students, this unique text is a hybrid of microbiology and public health and includes material on prions, helminths (worms), biological warfare and terrorism, antibiotic resistance, the global impact of microbial diseases, and immunization. The text helps students better understand the biology of the microbial world and the societal factors that are both the cause and consequences of microbial disease. Key Features All chapters have been updated, revised and streamlined to improve the overall flow of information and aid in student comprehension and retention. A new Chapter 6, Bacterial Genetics, reviews basic genetics and moves on the focus on transformation, conjugation and transduction as strategies of genetic exchange in bacteria. The latest epidemiological data, new information on antibiotic resistance, and current discussions on new emerging diseases are included. A new design and art program allows students to focus more sharply on important concepts. A student companion web site provides study tools and activities About The Author Robert Krasner, PhD, MPH - Providence College Robert Krasner is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology at Providence College, having retired in 2008 after 50 years of teaching and research. During his career, he presented many papers in the United States and internationally. He founded the Summer Science Program for high school students in 1975, which he directed for 31 years. Dr Krasner earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Havard School of Public Health in 1999. He is member of the American Society of Microbiology and the American Academy of Microbiology and was instrumental in establishing a division for microbiology education. Table of Contents Part 1: The challenge Chapter 1: Identifying the Challenge Chapter 2: The Microbial World Chapter 3: The Beneficial Aspects of Microbes: The order side of the coin Chapter 4: Bacteria Chapter 5: Viruses Part 2: Microbial Disease Chapter 7: Concepts of Microbial Disease Chapter 8: Epidemiology and Cycle of Microbial Disease Chapter 9: Bacterial Diseases: Foodbornes and waterborne bacterial diseases Chapter 10: Viral Diseases Chapter 11: Protozoans And Helminths and the Diseases they Cause Part 3: Meeting the Challenge Chapter 12: The Immune Response Chapter 13: Control of Microbial Diseases Chapter 14: Partnerships in the Control of Infectious Diseases: Background Part 4: Current challenges Chapter 15: Biological Weapons Chapter 16: Current Plagues Chapter 17: The Unfinished Agenda