Bacterial Infectious Diseases A Rejuvenated Field

every gene and every study but focus on well-developed century marked the end of the golden era of Medical Microbiology because it was naively thought that antibi-systems in which key genes and their interactions have otics would eradicate bacterial infectious diseases. been characterized. The authors' choices for case studies However, half a century later, the dream is over: world-are excellent. The text is perforce dominated by Arabidop-wide, bacterial infections are again a matter of concern. sis biology, but the authors have clearly made a strong In the more developed countries, industrialization of live-effort to include work in a variety of plant species. Case stock food production distributed enteropathogenic The text is described as being " for final-year undergrad-every farm. Air conditioning turned out to be an innova-uate courses in plant development and for graduate read-tive way to inoculate bacteria into the lungs of our fellow ers. " The text seems well suited for this level of student, citizens and it allowed Legionella pneumophila to be-although undergraduates would probably best benefit come a new pneumonia agent. During the same period from prior exposure to molecular genetics. Perhaps be-of time, the massive use of antibiotics led to the appear-cause the text is designed for advanced students, it lacks ance of multiresistant bacteria that escape every treat-the ubiquitous side boxes often used to connect topics ment, while the abandonment of vaccination programs covered in many texts with more practical or ethical con-led to the reemergence of diseases like whooping siderations. cough. In the less-developed countries, the poor sanita-The figures and drawings within the text are simply tion and shortage in food and drinking water has created superb. Despite being limited to two colors, the figures the conditions for reemergence of some infectious dis-portray clearly the many different organ systems, develop-eases, which had almost disappeared, like tuberculosis, mental regulation, and genetic pathways key to plant de-plague, and cholera. Moreover, some of these infectious velopment. The number and content of the figures is well diseases have now reappeared under a form that resists complemented by the text and makes understanding the antibiotic treatment. Finally, international tourism and various concepts covered in the text much easier. trade spread microbes faster than ever. In short, Medical A minor criticism is the lack of introductory material Microbiology is on the agenda again. designed to capture students' interest and imagination. During the last fifteen years, scientists trained as mi-Beyond …