pt. I. Getting started with microbiology
Introducing microorganisms
Deconstructing microbiology
2. Microbiology : the young science
Before microbiology : misconceptions and superstitions
Discovering microorganisms
Debunking the myth of spontaneous generation
Improving medicine, from surgery to antibiotics and more
Looking at microbiology outside the human body
The future of microbiology
3. Microbes : they're everywhere and the can do everything
The intersection of microbes and everyone else.
pt. II. Balancing the dynamics of microbial life
Seeing the shapes of cells
Life on a minute scale : considering the size of prokaryotes
Scaling the outer membrane and cell walls
Examining the outer membrane
Other important cell structures
Tackling transport systems
Keeping things clean with efflux pumps
Getting around with locomotion
5. Making sense of metabolism
In charge of energy : oxidation and reduction
Donating and accepting electrons
Bargaining with energy-rich compounds
Stepping along with respiration and electron carriers
Moving with the proton motive force
Turning the citric acid cycle
Stacking up with anabolism
Creating amino acids and nucleic acids
Making sugars and polysaccharides
Putting together fatty acids and lipids
6. Getting the gist of microbial genetics
Organizing genetic material
DNA : the recipe for life
Assembling the cellular machinery
Regulating protein function
Changing the genetic code
7. Measuring microbial growth
Getting growth requirements right
Culturing microbes in the lab
Calculating cell division and population growth
Inhibiting microbial growth
pt. III. Sorting out microbial diversity
8. Appreciating microbial ancestry
Where did microbes come from?
Tracing the origins of life
Diversifying early prokaryotes
The impact of prokaryotes on the early earth
Hitching a ride : endosymbiosis
Seeing the direction of gene transfer in prokaryotes
Classifying and naming microbes
Climbing the tree of life
9. Harnessing energy, fixing carbon
Forging ahead with autotrophic processes
Using the energy in light
Harvesting light : chlorophylls and bacteriochlorophylls
Helping photosynthesis out : carotenoids and phycobilins
Generating oxygen (or not) : oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis
Getting energy from the elements : chemolithotrophy
Securing electrons from sulfur
Oxidizing nitrate and ammonia
10. comparing respiration and fermentation
Lifestyles of the rich and facultative
Spinning the citric acid cycle
Stepping down the electron transport chain
Figuring out fermentation
11. Uncovering a variety of habitats
Understanding nutrient cycles
Phosphorous cycles in the ocean
Microbes socializing in communities
Using quorum sensing to communication
Discovering microbes in aquatic and terrestrial habitats
Getting along with plants and animals
Living with ocean creatures
Tolerating extreme locations
Detecting microbes in unexpected places.
pt. IV. Meeting the microbes
Getting to know the bacteria
The gram-negative bacteria : proteobacteria
More gram-negative bacteria
The gram-positive bacteria
Acquainting yourself with the archaea
Scalding : extreme thermophiles
Acidic : extreme acidophiles
Salty : extreme halophiles
Not terribly extreme archaea
13. Say hello to eukaryotes
Figuring out fungal physiology
Itemizing fungal diversity
Interacting with plant roots
MUshrooms : basidiomycetes
Making us sick : apicoplexans
Making plants sick : oomycetes
chasing amoeba and ciliates
14. Examining the vastness of viruses
Simplifying viral function
Making heads or tails of bacteriophage
Discussing viruses of eukaryotes
How host cells fight back
Interfering with RNA viruses : RNAi.
pt. V. Seeing the impact of microbes
15. Understanding microbes in human health and disease
Clarifying the host immune response
Putting up barriers to infection
Relying on antimicrobials for treating disease
Fundamental features of antibiotics
Unraveling microbial drug resistance
Discovering new antibiotics
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases
Prebiotics and probiotics
16. Putting microbes to work : biotechnology
Using recombinant DNA technology
Getting microbes to take up DNA
Using promoters to drive expression
Long, multigene constructs
Using microbes industrially
Protecting plants wit microbial insecticides
Cleaning up with microbes
17. Fighting microbial diseases
Protecting public health : epidemiology
Identifying a microbial pathogen
characterizing morphology
Typing strains with phage
Testing antibiotic susceptibility
Ranking the types of vaccines.
pt. VI. New frontiers in microbiology
18. Teasing apart communities
Studying microbial communities
Seeing what sets microbial communities apart from plants and animals
Observing communities : microbial ecology methods
Selecting something special with enrichment
Seeing cells through lenses
Measuring microbial activity
Identifying species using marker genes
Getting the hang of microbial genetics and systematics
Using metagenomics to study microbial communities
Reading microbial transcriptomics
Figuring out proteomics and metabolomics
Looking for microbial dark matter
Regulating genes : the lac operon
Using a good natural system
Designing genetic networks
Switching from one state to another
Oscillating between states
The synthetic biologist's toolbox
Participating in iGEM competition.
pt. VII. The part of tens
20. Ten (or so) diseases caused by microbes
Primary amoebic menigoencephalitis
21. Ten great uses for microbes
Brewing beer, liquor, and wine
Making and breaking down biodegradable plastics
Turning over compostable waste
22. Ten great uses for microbiology
Monitoring the environment
Keeping fish swimming strong
Producing food, wine, and beer
Looking for microbes in clean rooms
Producing pharmaceuticals.
