Brings the excitement, breadth, and power of the modern microbial sciences to the next generation of students and scientists.

This third edition of the bestselling Microbe textbook is an eloquent and highly readable introduction to microbiology that will engage and excite science majors and pre-health professionals. The authors have carefully crafted a lively narrative with stunning, detailed illustrations to bring key concepts to life and promote a lifelong passion for the microbial sciences.

Microbe is replete with case studies, ranging from a MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) outbreak in an NFL locker room to the search for life outside of Earth, that illustrate relevant microbiology concepts in real-world scenarios. To further engage students and deepen their understanding of both the principles and practice of science, each chapter includes activities that encourage students to demonstrate and apply their knowledge of the topics presented. Questions are posed throughout each chapter to introduce important subjects and to prompt students to actively participate in the learning experience. This new edition also features highlight boxes exploring the varied roles and applications of microbes at work in our world as well as profiles of the diverse array of individuals who work in and adjacent to the field of microbiology.

An equally valuable tool for instructors of all classroom modalities, Microbe integrates key concepts, learning outcomes, and fundamental statements directly from the ASM Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology. The new edition also provides robust instructor materials, including slides with figures and tables from the text, access to more than 250 peer-reviewed questions for microbiology education, and an instructors’ manual featuring answers for end-of-chapter questions as well as supplemental exercises and resources to challenge students to dig deeper into their understanding of the material.

MICHELE S. SWANSON, PHD is a professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her research group investigates how metabolic cues govern Legionella pneumophila’s resilience in the environment and virulence in phagocytes.

ELIZABETH A. JOYCE, PHD is a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California at San Francisco where her primary role is teaching microbiology and immunology in the schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy.

RACHEL E.A. HORAK, MA, PHD is a senior specialist in the Education Department at the American Society for Microbiology, where she facilitates a large, international faculty learning community of microbiology educators with the goal of increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion for all undergraduate students.

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Part I Fundamentals of Microbial Life

1 A Microbial Planet

2 Microbial Cell Exterior: Envelopes and Appendages

3 Microbial Cell Interior

4 Microbial Cell Growth and Division

5 Microbial Metabolism

6 Bioenergetics of Fueling

7 Synthesis of Building Blocks

8 Building Macromolecules

9 Building the Cell Envelope

10 Inheritance and Information Flow

11 Coordination of Cell Processes

12 Succeeding in the Environment

13 Differentiation and Development of Bacteria

Part II Microbial Diversity

14 Bacteria and Archaea

15 The Fungi

16 Protists

17 The Viruses

18 Viral Latency

Part III Microbial Ecology

19 Microbial Communities

20 Cycles of Elements

21 Microbial Interactions

22 The Human Gut Microbiome

Part IV Microbial Pathogenesis

23 Infection: The Vertebrate Host

24 Opportunistic Infections by Microbiota: MRSA

25 Intracellular Pathogens: Listeria and Mycobacterium

26 Toxins and Epidemic Cholera: Phage Giveth, and Phage Taketh Away

27 Zoonoses: How Plague Emerged from a Foodborne Illness

Coda

Glossary

Index