This text presents molecular and cellular aspects by focusing on the interactions between pathogenic microorganisms and their hosts. Presenting an overview on the agents of infectious diseases, this book discusses the specific and non-specific factors of host organisms to combat infections.
Despite science's improved understanding of pathogenic microorganisms and their relationship to infectious diseases, the threat of new, emerging infectious agents and variants of known agents continues to grow. Molecular Infection Biology focuses on the cutting edge of the discipline, presenting the molecular and cellular aspects of infectious diseases by focusing on the exciting interactions between pathogenic microorganisms and their hosts.
Beginning with an overview of the most important and dangerous causative agents of infectious diseases, editors Jörg Hacker and Jürgen Heesemann demonstrate how microbial "weapons," pathogenicity factors, protein secretion machines, and surface variation systems work. Infectious diseases are discussed in light of recent advances in evolutionary and cellular microbiology, genomics, diagnostic techniques, and vaccine development. This volume also:
* Outlines molecular principles and methods to study prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens
* Examines molecular strategies used by pathogens to infect host organisms
* Describes putative mechanisms of evolution of pathogenic organisms
* Covers methods to analyze microbial pathogenicity, principles of gene regulation of virulence-associated genes, drug treatment and mechanisms of drug resistance, and molecular methods for diagnosis and epidemiology of infectious diseases
Investigators, specialists, clinicians, and graduate students in biology, pharmacy, and medicine will find Molecular Infection Biology an invaluable addition to their professional libraries.
"...a comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to this new area of study...an excellent and valuable reference..." (ASM News, December 2003)
"...Investigators, specialists, clinicians and graduate students in biology, pharmacy and medicine will find this book an invaluable reference material." (CAB Abstracts)
"...this is an excellent Medical Microbiology textbook, certainly among the best available today." (Cell)
"...I have already begun recommending the book to our postgraduate students engaged in research..." (Microbiology Today)
