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Coverage and scope

The scope and sequence of Microbiology has been developed and vetted with input from numerous instructors at institutions across the US. It is designed to meet the needs of most microbiology courses for non-majors and allied health students. In addition, we have also considered the needs of institutions that offer microbiology to a mixed audience of science majors and non-majors by frequently integrating topics that may not have obvious clinical relevance, such as environmental and applied microbiology and the history of science.

With these objectives in mind, the content of this textbook has been arranged in a logical progression from fundamental to more advanced concepts. The opening chapters present an overview of the discipline, with individual chapters focusing on microscopy and cellular biology as well as each of the classifications of microorganisms. Students then explore the foundations of microbial biochemistry, metabolism, and genetics, topics that provide a basis for understanding the various means by which we can control and combat microbial growth. Beginning with Chapter 15, the focus turns to microbial pathogenicity, emphasizing how interactions between microbes and the human immune system contribute to human health and disease. The last several chapters of the text provide a survey of medical microbiology, presenting the characteristics of microbial diseases organized by body system.

A brief Table of Contents follows. While we have made every effort to align the Table of Contents with the needs of our audience, we recognize that some instructors may prefer to teach topics in a different order. A particular strength of Microbiology is that instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom.

  • Chapter 1: An Invisible World
  • Chapter 2: How We See the Invisible World
  • Chapter 3: The Cell
  • Chapter 4: Prokaryotic Diversity
  • Chapter 5: The Eukaryotes of Microbiology
  • Chapter 6: Acellular Pathogens
  • Chapter 7: Microbial Biochemistry
  • Chapter 8: Microbial Metabolism
  • Chapter 9: Microbial Growth
  • Chapter 10: Biochemistry of the Genome
  • Chapter 11: Mechanisms of Microbial Genetics
  • Chapter 12: Modern Applications of Microbial Genetics
  • Chapter 13: Control of Microbial Growth
  • Chapter 14: Antimicrobial Drugs
  • Chapter 15: Microbial Mechanisms of Pathogenicity
  • Chapter 16: Disease and Epidemiology
  • Chapter 17: Innate Nonspecific Host Defenses
  • Chapter 18: Adaptive Specific Host Defenses
  • Chapter 19: Diseases of the Immune System
  • Chapter 20: Laboratory Analysis of the Immune Response
  • Chapter 21: Skin and Eye Infections
  • Chapter 22: Respiratory System Infections
  • Chapter 23: Urogenital System Infections
  • Chapter 24: Digestive System Infections
  • Chapter 25: Circulatory and Lymphatic System Infections
  • Chapter 26: Nervous System Infections
  • Appendix A: Fundamentals of Physics and Chemistry Important to Microbiology
  • Appendix B: Mathematical Basics
  • Appendix C: Metabolic Pathways
  • Appendix D: Taxonomy of Clinically Relevant Microorganisms
  • Appendix E: Glossary

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Source:  OpenStax, Microbiology. OpenStax CNX. Nov 01, 2016 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col12087/1.4
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