Main description:

Recent discoveries in microbiology are hard to grasp for those unfamiliar with scientific jargon, and the research data can be overwhelming even for those working in other scientific fields. This book aims to remedy this situation by presenting the most interesting findings and current trends in microbiology in an easy-to-read and understandable format.

The first part tells the story of the beginnings of microbiology itself and introduces the reader to the founders of this fascinating research discipline. The second part focuses on communication between microorganisms and how they organize themselves into fascinating microbial cities called "biofilms". The reader also learns how bacteria exchange genetic material - mechanisms that are the root of the emergence of multidrug-resistant superbugs, pathogens that pose a major burden to human health and our healthcare systems. The third part is devoted to the latest techniques being used by scientists to study, control, and manipulate microorganisms for our benefit. The final part links the first three parts together and highlights how infectious diseases, including coronaviruses, can be transmitted from animals to humans, how global warming is affecting emerging diseases, and provides information on the actions that need to be taken to get ahead of pathogenic microbes and future pandemics.

This comprehensive, state-of-the-art book is intended for anyone interested in microbiology and epidemiology, from biology and biomedical students in schools and colleges, to patients suffering from infectious diseases who want to learn more about their condition.

The concepts covered in this book contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Health and Well-Being.

Contents:

Contents

Preface

The world of microorganisms

The origin of life on Earth

Essence of life: what makes an organism alive?

Bacteria

Archaea

Eukaryotic microorganisms

Viruses

Viroids

Prions

The dawn of microbiology

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Benjamin Jesty

Edward Jenner

Louis Pasteur

Robert Koch

Communication between microorganisms
Quorum sensing and bioluminescence

Quorum sensing in pathogenic bacteria

Intra-species communication

Inter-species communication

Inter-kingdom communication

Quorum sensing inhibitors

Microbial communities
Microbial cities

Interactions in biofilms

Biofilms of pathogenic microbes

Mixed biofilms

Drugs targeting biofilms

Gene transfer

Vertical gene transfer

Horizontal gene transfer

Mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer

Mobile DNA

Multidrug resistant bacteria

Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin

Antibiosis

Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance

Evolution by quantum leaps

Hospital superbugs

New drugs against bad bugs

Synthetic biology in microbiology

What is synthetic biology?

Key technologies of synthetic biology

Genome editing

Building blocks of synthetic biology

Engineering synthetic organisms

J. Craig Venter's Synthia

Synthetic Yeast 2.0

Minimal synthetic cell

Synthetic biology applications

Artificial intelligence in microbiology
Fourth Industrial Revolution

Neural networks

Human versus computer games

Artificial intelligence around us

Artificial intelligence in healthcare

Artificial intelligence-powered smart microscopes

Artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery

On the road to artificial super intelligence

Emerging and zoonotic diseases
Emerging diseases and global warming

Zoonotic diseases

AIDS

Ebola virus disease

SARS

MERS

Zika virus disease

Marburg virus disease

Plague

Anthrax

Brucellosis

Toxoplasmosis

COVID-19

Origins

SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis

SARS-CoV-2 mutants

Tackling SARS-CoV-2

Biosensors

Aptamers

Vaccines

Future pandemics
Zoonotic pathogens

Global climatic changes

Horizontal gene transfer

Into a brighter future