Microbiology for Dummies - Jennifer Stearns

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Auteur(s) : Jennifer Stearns - Michael Surette

Editeur : Wiley

Langue : Anglais

Parution : 01/03/2019

Format : Moyen, de 350g à 1kg

Nombre de pages : 384

Expédition : 513

Dimensions : 23.6 x 19.0 x 2.2

ISBN : 9781119544425

Résumé :

Microbiology For Dummies (9781119544425) was previously published as Microbiology For Dummies (9781118871188). While this version features a new Dummies cover and design, the content is the same as the prior release and should not be considered a new or updated product.

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Microbiology is the study of life itself, down to the smallest particle

Microbiology is a fascinating field that explores life down to the tiniest level. Did you know that your body contains more bacteria cells than human cells? It's true. Microbes are essential to our everyday lives, from the food we eat to the very internal systems that keep us alive. These microbes include bacteria, algae, fungi, viruses, and nematodes. Without microbes, life on Earth would not survive. It's amazing to think that all life is so dependent on these microscopic creatures, but their impact on our future is even more astonishing. Microbes are the tools that allow us to engineer hardier crops, create better medicines, and fuel our technology in sustainable ways. Microbes may just help us save the world.?

Microbiology For Dummies?is your guide to understanding the fundamentals of this enormously-encompassing field. Whether your career plans include microbiology or another science or health specialty, you need to understand life at the cellular level before you can understand anything on the macro scale.?

• Explore the difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
• Understand the basics of cell function and metabolism
• Discover the differences between pathogenic and symbiotic relationships
• Study the mechanisms that keep different organisms active and alive?

You need to know how cells work, how they get nutrients, and how they die. You need to know the effects different microbes have on different systems, and how certain microbes are integral to ecosystem health. Microbes are literally the foundation of all life, and they are everywhere.?Microbiology For Dummies?will help you understand them, appreciate them, and use them.

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Biographie:

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 2

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: Getting Started With Microbiology 5

Chapter 1: Microbiology and You 7

Why Microbiology? 7

Introducing the Microorganisms 8

Deconstructing Microbiology 10

Chapter 2: Microbiology: The Young Science 11

Before Microbiology: Misconceptions and Superstitions 12

Discovering Microorganisms 12

Debunking the myth of spontaneous generation 13

Improving medicine, from surgery to antibiotics and more 14

Looking at microbiology outside the human body 16

The Future of Microbiology 16

Exciting frontiers 17

Remaining challenges 18

Chapter 3: Microbes: They're Everywhere and They Can Do Everything 21

Habitat Diversity 23

Metabolic Diversity 24

Getting energy 25

Capturing carbon 25

Making enzymes 26

Secondary metabolism 26

The Intersection of Microbes and Everyone Else 27

Part 2: Balancing the Dynamics Of Microbial Life 29

Chapter 4: Understanding Cell Structure and Function 31

Seeing the Shapes of Cells 31

Life on a Minute Scale: Considering the Size of Prokaryotes 33

The Cell: An Overview 34

Scaling the Outer Membrane and Cell Walls 35

Examining the outer membrane 35

Exploring the cell wall 37

Other Important Cell Structures 41

Divining Cell Division 43

Tackling Transport Systems 44

Coasting with the current: Passive transport 45

Upstream paddle: Active transport 46

Keeping things clean with efflux pumps 46

Getting Around with Locomotion 47

Chapter 5: Making Sense of Metabolism 49

Converting with Enzymes 49

In Charge of Energy: Oxidation and Reduction 51

Donating and accepting electrons 52

Bargaining with energy-rich compounds 54

Storing energy for later 55

Breaking Down Catabolism 56

Digesting glycolysis 56

Stepping along with respiration and electron carriers 57

Moving with the proton motive force 59

Turning the citric acid cycle 60

Stacking Up with Anabolism 61

Creating amino acids and nucleic acids 62

Making sugars and polysaccharides 63

Putting together fatty acids and lipids 65

Chapter 6: Getting the Gist of Microbial Genetics 67

Organizing Genetic Material 68

DNA: The recipe for life 68

Perfect plasmids 70

Doubling down with DNA replication 71

Assembling the Cellular Machinery 75

Making messenger RNA 75

Remembering other types of RNA 77

Synthesizing protein 78

Making the Right Amount: Regulation 80

Turning the tap on and off: DNA regulation 81

Regulating protein function 83

Changing the Genetic Code 83

Slight adjustments 83

Major rearrangements 85

Chapter 7: Measuring Microbial Growth 89

Getting Growth Requirements Right 89

Physical requirements 90

Chemical requirements 91

Culturing microbes in the lab 92

Observing Microbes 94

Counting small things 95

Seeing morphology 97

Calculating Cell Division and Population Growth 98

Dividing cells 99

Following growth phases 100

Inhibiting Microbial Growth 101

Physical methods 101

Disinfectants 102

Part 3: Sorting Out Microbial Diversity 103

Chapter 8: Appreciating Microbial Ancestry 105

Where ...

Sommaire:

Jennifer C. Stearns, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University. She studies how we get our gut microbiome in early life and how it can keep us healthy over time. Michael G. Surette, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster University, where he pushes the boundaries of microbial research. Julienne C. Kaiser, PhD, is a doctoral career educator....