Bacterial Virulence: A Conceptual Primer

Description

This textbook introduces in an engaging way the fundamentals of how pathogenic bacteria interact with, and are virulent within, the human host. To inspire and educate the next generation of microbe hunters, the author, Microbiologist and Scientist Anthony William Maresso, integrates the major findings of the field into a single, easy-to-understand volume emphasizing a molecular appreciation of the concepts underlying bacterial infectious diseases. The work explores such themes as the history of Microbiology, bacterial structure and physiology, bacterial toxins, secretion systems, and adhesins, the host immune system and its battle with bacteria, biofilms, sepsis, and technologies/techniques to the present day. Fully illustrated in concept and packed with idea-provoking challenges highlighting “out-of-the-box” thinking, the work moves beyond being just a review of the scientific literature intent on equipping the next generation of Microbiologists and their teachers with the knowledge to confront, and hopefully one day defeat, the insidious microbes which undermine human health. This textbook is a resource for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, as well as other health-oriented learners, postdoctoral scholars, basic scientists, and professors intent on expanding their knowledge of bacterial infection and virulence mechanisms. Front Matter ....Pages I-XVIII A Short History of Microbiology (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 1-6 The Form and Function of a Bacterial Pathogen (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 7-18 The Practice of the Microbe Hunter (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 19-30 Innate Immunological Defenses Against Bacterial Attack (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 31-46 Adaptive Immunological Defenses Against Bacterial Attack (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 47-57 The Mutagenic Tetrasect (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 59-71 Bacterial Bindance: Adhesins and Their Engagement to Host (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 73-87 Bacterial Invasion of the Host Cell (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 89-102 Bacterial Secretion Systems (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 103-114 Bacterial Protein Toxins and Effectors (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 115-129 The Acquisition and Consumption of Host Nutrients (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 131-144 Biofilms (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 145-153 The Human Microbiome (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 155-167 Sepsis (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 169-176 Bacterial Vaccines and the Challenges Ahead (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 177-194 Antibiotics … and Their Destruction (Anthony William Maresso)....Pages 195-212