Cover -- Half-title -- Series-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- 1 The microbiology of soil and of nutrient cycling -- 1.1 What habitats are provided by soil? -- 1.2 How are microbes involved in nutrient cycling? -- 1.2.1 How is carbon cycled? -- 1.2.2 How is nitrogen cycled? -- 1.2.3 How is sulphur cycled? -- 2 Plant-microbe interactions -- 2.1 What are mycorrhizas? -- 2.2 What symbioses do cyanobacteria form? -- 2.3 What symbioses do other nitrogen-fixing bacteria form? -- 2.4 From what infections do plants suffer? -- 2.4.1 What plant diseases are caused by fungi? -- 2.4.2 What plant diseases are caused by bacteria? -- 2.4.3 What plant diseases are caused by viruses? -- 2.5 How are microbes used to control agricultural pests? -- 3 The microbiology of drinking water -- 3.1 What are water-borne diseases? -- 3.1.1 Cholera -- 3.1.2 Enteric fever -- 3.1.3 Bacilliary dysentery -- 3.1.4 Water-borne campylobacter infections -- 3.1.5 Water-borne virus infections -- 3.1.6 Water-borne protozoal diseases -- 3.2 How is water examined to ensure that it is safe to drink? -- 3.3 How is water purified to ensure that it is safe to drink? -- 3.4 How is sewage treated to make it safe? -- 4 Microbial products -- 4.1 How did microbes contribute to the First World War effort? -- 4.2 What role do microbes play in the oil industry and in mining? -- 4.3 How are microbial enzymes exploited? -- 4.4 How do microbes help in the diagnosis of disease and related applications? -- 4.5 How do microbes contribute to the pharmaceutical industry? -- 4.6 How do microbes contribute to food technology? -- 5 Food microbiology -- 5.1 How do microbes affect food? -- 5.2 How are fungi used as food? -- 5.3 How are microbes involved in bread and alcohol production? -- 5.4 How are fermented vegetables and meats produced? -- 5.4.1 Sauerkraut -- 5.4.2 Dill pickles.

5.4.3 Other fermented vegetable products -- 5.4.4 Fermentation of meats -- 5.4.5 Silage production -- 5.4.6 Fermented dairy products -- 5.5 What role do microbes have in food spoilage and preservation? -- 5.5.1 How do microbes cause food spoilage? -- 5.5.2 How can food be preserved? -- Cooking of food -- Low-temperature preservation of foods -- Physical methods of food preservation -- Food preservation by drying -- Osmotic protection of food -- Filtration -- Irradiation of food -- Modified atmospheric packaging of foods -- Chemical preservation of food -- 5.6 What causes food poisoning? -- 5.6.1 Chemical contamination of food -- 5.6.2 Food poisoning associated with consumption of animal tissues -- 5.6.3 Food poisoning associated with the consumption of plant material -- 5.6.4 What are food-borne infections? -- Food-borne infection caused by thermophilic campylobacters -- 5.6.5 What is bacterial food poisoning? -- 5.6.6 What is bacterial intoxication? -- Staphylococcus aureus food poisoning -- Bacillus cereus food poisoning -- Clostridium perfringens food poisoning -- Clostridium botulinum food poisoning -- 5.6.7 What food poisoning is associated with bacterial infection? -- Salmonella infections -- Escherichia coli infections -- Yersinia enterocolitica infections -- Listeria monocytogenes infections -- Bacillus cereus infections -- Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections -- 5.6.8 What is the role of fungal toxins in food poisoning? -- 5.6.9 What viruses cause food-borne illness? -- 5.6.10 What are the pre-disposing factors in food poisoning incidents? -- 6 The human commensal flora -- 6.1 What constitutes the resident and transient flora of humans? -- 6.2 What constitutes the commensal flora of the human skin? -- 6.3 What constitutes the commensal flora of the human alimentary tract?.

6.4 What constitutes the commensal flora of the human upper respiratory tract? -- 6.5 What constitutes the commensal flora of the human genital tract? -- 6.6 What is the role of the human commensal flora? -- 6.7 What factors affect the human commensal flora? -- 6.8 Do viruses form part of the human commensal flora? -- 7 Microbial infections -- 7.1 How do microbes cause disease and how do we defend ourselves from infection? -- 7.2 What are urinary tract infections? -- 7.2.1 What causes urinary tract infections? -- 7.2.2 What are the symptoms of urinary tract infections? -- 7.2.3 How may the diagnostic laboratory assist in the diagnosis of urinary tract infections? -- 7.3 What causes sexually transmissible diseases? -- 7.3.1 Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) -- 7.3.2 Syphilis -- 7.3.3 Gonorrhoea -- 7.3.4 Non-specific urethritis and other bacterial infections -- 7.3.5 Candidosis (thrush) -- 7.3.6 Trichomoniasis -- 7.3.7 Genital herpes infections -- 7.3.8 Genital warts -- 7.3.9 Pubic lice and scabies -- 7.4 What causes infections of the central nervous system? -- 7.4.1 What causes meningitis? -- How is meningitis diagnosed in the diagnostic microbiology laboratory? -- 7.4.2 What causes encephalitis? -- 7.4.3 What is rabies? -- 7.4.4 What is progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy? -- 7.4.5 What are poliomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome? -- 7.4.6 What are transmissible spongiform encephalopathies? -- 7.4.7 What causes brain abscesses? -- 7.4.8 What is tetanus and how is it related to botulism? -- 7.5 What causes infections of the circulatory system? -- 7.5.1 A problem with terminology -- 7.5.2 What is plague? -- 7.5.3 What causes septicaemia? -- 7.5.4 What are the symptoms and consequences of septicaemia? -- 7.5.5 How is septicaemia diagnosed in the diagnostic microbiology laboratory? -- 7.5.6 What is endocarditis and how does it develop?.

7.6 What causes oral cavity and respiratory infections? -- 7.6.1 What causes infections of the oral cavity? -- 7.6.2 What causes dental caries? -- 7.6.3 What is periodontal disease? -- 7.6.4 What is actinomycosis? -- 7.6.5 What is oral thrush? -- 7.6.6 What causes cold sores? -- 7.6.7 What are upper respiratory tract infections? -- 7.6.8 What causes sore throats and glandular fever? -- 7.6.9 What causes tonsillitis? -- 7.6.10 What is mumps? -- 7.6.11 What is diphtheria? -- 7.6.12 What is acute epiglottitis? -- 7.6.13 What causes middle ear infections? -- 7.6.14 What are lower respiratory tract infections? -- 7.6.15 What causes chronic bronchitis? -- 7.6.16 What causes pneumonia? -- 7.6.17 What is Legionnaire's disease? -- 7.6.18 What is tuberculosis? -- 7.6.19 What causes whooping cough? -- 7.6.20 What is aspergillosis? -- 7.7 What causes gastrointestinal infections? -- 7.7.1 What is pseudomembranous colitis? -- 7.7.2 How are faecal samples examined for pathogens? -- 7.7.3 What viruses are associated with gastroenteritis? -- 7.7.4 What causes hepatitis? -- 7.7.5 What is peritonitis? -- 7.8 What causes infections of skin, bone and soft tissues? -- 7.8.1 What bacteria cause skin and muscle infections? -- 7.8.2 What viruses cause skin lesions? -- 7.8.3 What causes eye infections? -- 7.8.4 What animal-associated pathogens cause soft tissue infections? -- 7.8.5 What infections affect bone and joints? -- 7.9 What causes perinatal infections? -- 7.10 What infections do fungi cause? -- 7.10.1 How are mycoses diagnosed in the laboratory? -- 7.11 How do we recognise clinically important bacteria? -- 7.11.1 Gram-positive cocci -- 7.11.2 Gram-positive bacilli -- 7.11.3 Mycobacteria -- 7.11.4 Gram-negative cocci -- 7.11.5 Gram-negative bacilli -- 8 Chemotherapy and antibiotic resistance -- 8.1 What inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis? -- 8.1.1 Fosfomycin.

8.1.2 Cycloserine -- 8.1.3 Bacitracin -- 8.1.4 Vancomycin -- 8.1.5 Beta-lactams -- 8.1.6 Isoniazid -- 8.2 Which antibacterial agents affect bacterial cell membrane function? -- 8.3 Which antibacterial agents are inhibitors of nucleic acid metabolism? -- 8.3.1 Sulphonamides and trimethoprim -- 8.3.2 Quinolones -- 8.4 Which antibacterial agents are inhibitors of RNA metabolism? -- 8.5 Which antibacterial agents are inhibitors of protein synthesis? -- 8.5.1 Aminoglycosides -- 8.5.2 Tetracyclines -- 8.5.3 Chloramphenicol -- 8.5.4 Macrolides -- 8.5.5 Fusidic acid -- 8.5.6 Mupirocin -- 8.6 What drugs act as antifungal agents? -- 8.6.1 Polyene antibiotics -- 8.6.2 Azoles -- 8.6.3 Griseofulvin -- 8.6.4 Flucytosine -- 8.6.4 Allylamines and benzylamines -- 8.7 What drugs can be used to treat virus infections? -- 8.7.1 Aciclovir and ganciclovir -- 8.7.2 Amantidine -- 8.7.3 Ribavirin -- 8.7.4 Zidovudine -- 8.8 What causes antibiotic resistance in bacteria? -- Further reading -- Glossary -- Index.