Books in the Society for General Microbiology Symposia series

A review of the immense progress which has been made during the past half-century in the development of methods for the control of pathogenic microbes. Topics such as why epidemics still occur and the need for new antibiotics highlight the fact that, despite the advances, the fight against infection still continues.

Microbial chemical signals have been found to regulate diverse metabolic reactions and processes such as antibiotic production, pathogenesis and differentiation. This volume presents information at the forefront of this exciting field and includes contributions on a range of organisms (both prokaryote and eukaryote, unicellular and multi-cellular) and signalling molecules.

This volume describes the way causal pathogens of diseases interact with the vectors that transmit them. It details the elegant biological adaptations that enable pathogens to live with and sometimes control their vectors, knowledge which has led to novel preventative strategies such as antibiotics and vaccines.

This volume focuses on the interactions between the proteins of the infectious agent and the host that has been invaded. Both viral and bacterial systems are considered, with specific examples illustrating the rapid advances being made in defining the molecular mechanisms underlying infection.

This book describes, at the molecular level, some of the most important ways in which microbes move substances that they make, or that they encounter in their environment, from one place to another.

Biofilm is of interest to a range of disciplines, from medicine to water technology. Although the habitats differ widely, common elements exist such as attachment, coadhesion and regulation of biofilm phenotype and architecture. This book aims to distil the common principles of biofilm physiology and growth for all interested disciplines.

Viruses continually evolve and adapt, posing new threats to the health. This book presents the latest discussions of the ecology of viruses and reviews the underlying mechanisms by which some viruses cause disease.

DNA sequencing, the use of microarrays, and proteomics, will transform our ability to describe bacterial genes and patterns of gene expression. This book discusses current knowledge of the regulatory systems that govern gene expression, providing potential means of controlling bacteria clinically, and exploiting them industrially, or environmentally, in the future.

Virus and prion diseases are a major public health threat throughout the world. The HIV pandemic is one example of a newly emerged virus diseases, and older human viruses such as influenza still cause major health problems. This book covers the central factors that influence the pathogenicity of these infections.

Geomicrobiology can be defined as the influence of microorganisms on geologic processes and is probably the most rapidly growing area of microbiology, combining environmental and molecular microbiology together with significant areas of mineralogy, geochemistry and hydrology. This volume provides an overview of the subject for graduate students and researchers.