This textbook introduces in an engaging way the fundamentals of how pathogenic bacteria interact with, and are virulent within, the human host. To inspire and educate the next generation of microbe hunters, the author, Microbiologist and Scientist Anthony William Maresso, integrates the major findings of the field into a single, easy-to-understand volume emphasizing a molecular appreciation of the concepts underlying bacterial infectious diseases. The work explores such themes as the history of Microbiology, bacterial structure and physiology, bacterial toxins, secretion systems, and adhesins, the host immune system and its battle with bacteria, biofilms, sepsis, and technologies/techniques to the present day. Fully illustrated in concept and packed with idea-provoking challenges highlighting “out-of-the-box” thinking, the work moves beyond being just a review of the scientific literature intent on equipping the next generation of Microbiologists and their teachers with the knowledge to confront, and hopefully one day defeat, the insidious microbes which undermine human health. This textbook is a resource for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, as well as other health-oriented learners, postdoctoral scholars, basic scientists, and professors intent on expanding their knowledge of bacterial infection and virulence mechanisms.

Bacterial Pathogens and their Virulence Factors contains a detailed description of 32 major bacterial pathogens that affect human health and their associated virulence determinants. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the different types and classes of general virulence factors involved in host cell adherence and invasion, dissemination within the host, host cell damage, and evasion of host defense systems, as well as mechanisms by which these virulence factors are regulated. Chapters 2 through 33 give concise descriptions of the disease states associated with the 32 bacterial genera and their major pathogenic species, along with an in-depth description of the individual virulence factors that have been found to be functionally involved in pathogenicity. A detailed bibliography derived from primary literature and review articles accompanies each of these chapters, allowing the reader to delve more deeply into individual pathogens and their virulence determinants. Chapter 34 discusses the exciting possibilities and initial successes of using detailed information on a pathogen’s virulence toolkit to design new therapeutics aimed at specific virulence traits.

Established almost 30 years ago, Methods in Microbiology is the most prestigious series devoted to techniques and methodology in the field. Now totally revamped, revitalized, with a new format and expanded scope, Methods in Microbiology will continue to provide you with tried and tested, cutting-edge protocols to directly benefit your research. - Focuses on the methods most useful for the microbiologist interested in the way in which bacteria cause disease - Includes section devoted to 'Approaches to characterising pathogenic mechanisms' by Stanley Falkow - Covers safety aspects, detection, identification and speciation - Includes techniques for the study of host interactions and reactions in animals and plants - Describes biochemical and molecular genetic approaches - Essential methods for gene expression and analysis - Covers strategies and problems for disease control

Principles of Bacterial Pathogenesis presents a molecular perspective on a select group of bacterial pathogens by having the leaders of the field present their perspective in a clear and authoritative manner. Each chapter contains a comprehensive review devoted to a single pathogen. Several chapters include work from authors outside the pathogenesis field, providing general perspectives on the evolution, regulation, and secretion of virulence and determinants. - Explains the basic principles of bacterial pathogenesis - Covers diverse aspects integrating regulation, cellular microbiology and evolution of microbial disease of humans - Discusses current strategies for the identification of virulence determinants and the methods used by microbes to deliver virulence factors - Presents authoritative treatises of the major disease microorganisms

Ground-breaking overview of an enduring topic Despite the use of antibiotics, bacterial diseases continue to be a critical issue in public health, and bacterial pathogenesis remains a tantalizing problem for research microbiologists. This new edition of Virulence Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogens broadly covers the knowledge base surrounding this topic and presents recently unraveled bacterial virulence strategies and cutting-edge therapies. A team of editors, led by USDA scientist Indira Kudva, compiled perspectives from experts to explain the wide variety of mechanisms through which bacterial pathogens cause disease: the host interface, host cell enslavement, and bacterial communication, secretion, defenses, and persistence. A collection of reviews on targeted therapies rounds out the seven sections of this unique book. The new edition provides insights into some of the most recent advances in the area of bacterial pathogenesis, including how metabolism shapes the host-pathogen interface interactions across species and genera mechanisms of the secretion systems evasion, survival, and persistence mechanisms new therapies targeting various adaptive and virulence mechanisms of bacterial pathogens Written to promote discussion, extrapolation, exploration, and multidimensional thinking, Virulence Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogens serves as a textbook for graduate courses on bacterial pathogenesis and a resource for specialists in bacterial pathogenicity, such as molecular biologists, physician scientists, infectious disease clinicians, dental scientists, veterinarians, molecular biologists, industry researchers, and technicians.

This much-anticipated third edition again consolidates the knowledge of more than twenty experts on pathogenesis of animal disease caused by various species or groups of bacteria. Emphasizing pathogenic events at the molecular and cellular levels, the editors and contributors place these developments in the context of the overall picture of disease. Pathogenesis of Bacterial Infections in Animals, Third edition, updates and expands the content of the second edition and includes cutting-edge information from the most current research. Comments on previous editions: "...highly recommended." --The Veterinary Record "...a comprehensive, complete and easy-to-use source of information." --Veterinary Microbiology "...recommended for graduate students and specialists in microbiology, pathology and infectious disease." --U.S. Animal Health Association Newsletter "...a wonderful book." --Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association "...highly recommended." --The Cornell Veterinarian Graduate students, faculty, researchers, and specialists in microbiology, pathology, and infectious diseases will benefit from this highly-detailed and expanded edition of a popular and well-read veterinary text.

Moonlighting Proteins: Novel Virulence Factors in Bacterial Infections is a complete examination of the ways in which proteins with more than one unique biological action are able to serve as virulence factors in different bacteria. The book explores the pathogenicity of bacterial moonlighting proteins, demonstrating the plasticity of protein evolution as it relates to protein function and to bacterial communication. Highlighting the latest discoveries in the field, it details the approximately 70 known bacterial proteins with a moonlighting function related to a virulence phenomenon. Chapters describe the ways in which each moonlighting protein can function as such for a variety of bacterial pathogens and how individual bacteria can use more than one moonlighting protein as a virulence factor. The cutting-edge research contained here offers important insights into many topics, from bacterial colonization, virulence, and antibiotic resistance, to protein structure and the therapeutic potential of moonlighting proteins. Moonlighting Proteins: Novel Virulence Factors in Bacterial Infections will be of interest to researchers and graduate students in microbiology (specifically bacteriology), immunology, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, pathology, and protein science.

Many bacteria, such as certain Neisseria and Haemophilus or Escherichia coli, are able to withstand the bactericidal activity of complement and phagocytes. This bacterial self protection is brought about by encapsulation. Bacterial capsules thus enable the pathogenic bacteria to survive in the host by counter action or evasion of the nonspecific host defense in the early pre immune phase of an infection. It is only in the late immune phase of the infection, when specific anticapsular antibodies are formed and enforce the host's defense system, that this protective action is overcome. Encapsulated bacteria are then killed and eliminated. Interestingly, some capsules can not or only inefficiently be handled by the immune system. The ensuing lack of antibody formation results in a prolonged susceptibility of the host to the pathogenic bacteria exhibiting such capsules. It was found that bacterial capsules consist of acidic poly saccharides. From this it followed that the role of the capsules in the interaction of encapsulated bacteria with the host may be due to the chemistry of the capsular polysaccharides. This led to intensive studies of capsular polysaccharides in many laboratories. Our increasing knowledge of the structural features of capsular polysaccharides prompted not only immuno chemical studies analyzing the interactions of these poly saccharide antigens and characterizing the epitopes, but also investigations into their biosynthesis. These studies were complemented and supported by genetic analyses. Today many interdisciplinary investigations of capsular polysaccharides are in progress.