Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. I. Life and death of microorganisms. umans and the microbial world -- The molecules of life -- Microscopy and cell structure -- Dynamics of prokaryotic growth -- Control of microbial growth -- Metabolism: fueling cell growth -- The blueprint of life, from DNA to protein -- Bacterial genetics -- Biotechnology and recombinant DNA -- pt. II. The microbial world. Identification and classification of prokaryotes -- The diversity of prokaryotic organisms -- The eukaryotic members of the microbial world -- Viruses of bacteria -- Viruses, prions, and viroids: infectious agents of animals and plants -- pt. III. Microorganisms and humans. The innate immune response -- The adaptive immune response -- Applications of immune responses -- Immunologic disorders -- Host-microbe interactions -- Epidemiology -- Antimicrobial medications -- pt. IV. Infectious diseases. Skin infections -- Wound infections -- Respiratory system infections -- Digestive system infections -- Genitourinary infections -- Nervous system infections -- Blood and lymphatic infections -- HIV disease and complications of immunodeficiency -- pt. V. Applied microbiology. Microbial ecology -- Environmental microbiology: treatment of water, wastes, and polluted habitats -- Food microbiology.