Publisher's Synopsis
The aim of this book is to illustrate that the science of microbiology includes more than outlines of the organisms responsible for infectious diseases. It requires a study of nosocomial infection, the ability to understand the use of sterilization and disinfection methods in relation to hospital hygiene (and domestic hygiene) and a thorough grasp of all such factors for the application of preventive measures.;The agents of food poisoning and other food-borne disease, their principle hosts and their behaviour in foods and liquids which result in the invasion or intoxication of the consumers are described. There is a summary of the vaccines used currently for prophylaxis and treatment of infectious diseases.;The parts played by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites in systemic diseases are given in separate chapters. Immunology and genetics have reached the stage of individual science subjects, but also must be integrated with microbiology.;Basic aspects of the study of microbiology such as cell structure, classification and identification are necessary criteria for the recognition of organisms. They precede descriptions of the main agents of disease, their characteristics, in vivo and in vitro, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, drug susceptibility and treatment. These factors are combined with the practical aspects of isolation and type differentiation necessary for epidemiological investigations which can point the way to preventive measures.
