Includes bibliographical references and index.

Microbiology: then and now -- The chemical building blocks of life -- Basic concepts of microbiology -- Prokaryotic structure -- Prokaryotic growth and metabolism -- Control of prokaryotic growth -- Prokaryotic genetics and genomics -- Gene transfer, genetic engineering, and genomics -- Airborne bacterial diseases -- Foodborne and waterborne bacterial diseases -- Soilborne and arthropodborne bacterial diseases -- Sexually transmitted, contact, and miscellaneous bacterial diseases -- Viruses and eukaryotic microorganisms -- Viral infections of the respiratory tract and skin -- Viral infections of the blood and the lymphatic system, and gastrointestinal and nervous systems -- Eukaryotic microorganisms: the fungi -- Eukaryotic microorganisms: the parasites -- Infection and disease -- Resistance and the immune system: innate immunity -- Resistance and the immune system: acquired immunity -- Immunity and serology -- Immune disorders -- Physical and chemical control of microorganisms -- Chemotherapeutic agents and antibiotics -- Microbiology of foods -- Environmental microbiology -- Industrial microbiology and biotechnology.