Microbiology: A Human Perspective

Although no longer an active member of the author team, Eugene (Gene) Nester wrote the original version of the present text with Evans Roberts and Nancy Pearsall more than 30 years ago. That text, Microbiology: Molecules, Microbes and Man, pioneered the organ system approach to the study of infectious disease, and was developed specifically for allied health sciences. Gene did his undergraduate work at Cornell and received his Ph.D. in microbiology from Case Western University. He then did postdoctoral work in the Department of Genetics at Stanford University with Joshua Lederberg. Following that, he joined the faculty in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington, where he remains active as an emeritus member. His laboratory demonstrated that Agrobacterium transfers DNA into plant cellsthe basis for the disease crown galla system of gene transfer that has become a cornerstone of plant biotechnology. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Australia Prize and the Cetus Prize in Biotechnology, and was elected to fellowship in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the National Academy of Sciences in India.

Part I Life and Death of Microorganisms 1 Humans and the Microbial World 2 The Molecules of Life 3 Microscopy and Cell Structure 4 Dynamics of Prokaryotic Growth 5 Control of Microbial Growth 6 Metabolism: Fueling Cell Growth 7 The Blueprint of Life, from DNA to Protein 8 Bacterial Genetics 9 Biotechnology and Recombinant DNA Part II The Microbial World 10 Identification and Classification of Prokaryotes 11 The Diversity of Prokaryotic Organisms 12 The Eukaryotic Members of the Microbial World 13 Viruses of Bacteria 14 Viruses, Prions, and Viroids: Infectious Agents of Animal and Plants Part III Microorganisms and Humans 15 The Innate Immune Response 16 The Adaptive Immune Response 17 Applications of Immune Responses 18 Immunologic Disorders 19 Host-Microbe Interactions 20 Epidemiology 21 Antimicrobial Medications Part IV Infectious Diseases 22 Skin Infections 23 Wound Infections 24 Respiratory System Infections 25 Digestive System Infections 26 Genitourinary Infections 27 Nervous Systems Infections 28 Blood and Lymphatic Infections 29 HIV Disease and Complications of Immunodeficiency Part V Applied Microbiology 30 Microbial Ecology 31 Environmental Microbiology: Treatment of Water, Wastes, and Polluted Habitats 32 Food Microbiology