Microbiology of Infectious Disease

Description

This book reverses the trend towards the biology getting lost in molecular detail by cutting through the information overload and placing the new sequence-derived information in the context of the natural history of the organism in question.

• Describes the fascinating natural history of a wide range of viral, bacterial, fungal, and protozoan pathogens
• Provides a clear exposition of complex genomic and molecular information and the insights it generates
• Emphasizes the underlying biology and its influence on pathogenicity and infectivity
• Accessible and jargon-free text with key concepts highlighted throughout

About the Author(s)

Sandy R. Primrose, Independent biotechnology consultant, Chairman, AMLo Biosciences and Newcells Biotech; Non-executive Director, Attomarker

Sandy Primrose, MBE is an established author with a number of very successful textbooks to his name which have run to multiple editions. He trained as a microbiologist and then undertook research in virology which led to his first textbook. This was followed a few years later by a major textbook on gene manipulation. After a relatively brief academic career, he transferred to the private sector where he has held a number of senior managerial positions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries over a 40-year period. He has been an adviser to the Food Standards Agency and Defra, and has recently published his third popular science book. He is currently Chairman of both AMLo Biosciences and Newcells Biotech, as well as Non-executive Director of Attomarker and acting as a consultant to a number of venture capital companies. He also lectures widely on popular science topics to raise money for various charities.

Table of Contents

Preface
Glossary
Part I: An Introduction to the Background Science
1:The role of nucleic acid analysis in understanding infectious diseases
2:Some common factors involved in host-pathogen relations
3:The Three Great Pandemics of Plague
Part II: Bacterial Pathogens
4:A Multifaceted Pathogen: Escherichia coli
5:Fever and Food Poisoning: The Two Faces of Salmonella
6:Understanding Pathogen Populations: Klebsiella pneumoniae
7:A Surprising Pathogen: Vibrio cholerae
8:The Accidental Pathogen: Legionella pneumophila
9:Two Related Pathogens, One Ancient and One New
10:Helicobacter pylori and Gastric Ulcers
11:A Tale of Two Pathogens: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas syringae
12:The Enigmatic Pathogens: Syphilis, Yaws, Pinta, and Bejel
13:Mycobacterial Mysteries: Tuberculosis and Leprosy
14:Plasmids and Pathogenicity: The Bacillus cereus Complex
15:Tracking the Origins of Clostridium difficile Infections
16:Tracking Horizontal Gene Transfer: Staphylococcus aureus
17:The Inadvertent Pathogen: Borrelia burgdorferi and Lyme Disease
18:Phytoplasmas: Bacteria that Manipulate Plants and Insects
19:The Most Influential Bacterium: Wolbachia pipientis
Part III: Eukaryotic Pathogens
20:The Ubiquitous Pathogen: Trichomonas vaginalis
21:The Greatest Killer of All Times: The Malarial Parasite
22:An Environmental Opportunistic Pathogen: Cryptococcus
23:The Most Famous Plant Pathogen: Phytophthora infestans
Part IV
24:A Virus That Promotes Its Own Transfer: Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
25:Morbilliviruses: Measles, Rinderpest and Canine Distemper
26:Filovirus Haemorrhagic Fevers: Marburg Virus and Ebola
27:The Origins of HIV and the AIDS Pandemic
28:The Benefits of a Segmented Genome: Influenza
29:Third Time Unlucky: SARS, MERS, and Covid-19
Part V: Some Unifying Themes
30:Zoonotic Diseases
31:Some Common Pathogenicity Themes