pt. I. Fundamentals of microbial life. A microbial planet -- Prokaryotic cell exterior : envelopes and appendages -- Prokaryotic cell interior -- Microbial cell growth and division -- Microbial metabolism -- Bioenergetics of fueling -- Synthesis of building blocks -- Building macromolecules -- Building the cell envelope -- Inheritance and information flow -- Coordination of cell processes -- Succeeding in the environment -- Differentiation and development -- pt. II. Mircobial diversity. Bacteria and archaea -- The Fungi -- Protists -- The viruses -- Viral latency -- pt. III. Microbial ecology. Microbial communities -- Cycles of elements -- Microbial interactions -- pt. IV. Microbial pathogenesis. Infection : the vertebrate host -- Opportunistic infections by microbiota : MRSA -- Intracellular pathogens : listeria and mycobacterium -- Herpes : an ancient human virus prevails -- Toxins and epidemic cholera : phage giveth, and phage taketh away -- Zoonoses : how plague emerged from a foodborne illness -- pt. V. Putting microbes to work. A past, a present, and a future with microbes.

Microbe, 2e brings the excitement, breadth and power of the modern microbial sciences to students and scientists in a fun and engaging way, building on key concepts and skills identified in the Curriculum Guidelines by the American Society for Microbiology Education Board. Intended for microbiology course for majors and pre-health professionals