Skip to content
Register Sign in Wishlist
Microbial Inhabitants of Humans

Microbial Inhabitants of Humans
Their Ecology and Role in Health and Disease

  • Date Published: February 2005
  • availability: Available
  • format: Hardback
  • isbn: 9780521841580

Hardback

Add to wishlist

Other available formats:
eBook


Looking for an inspection copy?

This title is not currently available on inspection

Description
Product filter button
Description
Contents
Resources
Courses
About the Authors
  • This advanced textbook provides a unique overview of the microbial communities (normal indigenous microbiota) inhabiting those regions of the human body that are exposed to the external environment, including the skin, eyes, oral cavity and the respiratory, urinary, reproductive and gastrointestinal tracts. In order to understand why particular organisms are able to colonise an anatomical region and why the resulting microbial community has a particular composition, an ecological approach is essential. Consequently, the key anatomical and physiological characteristics of each body site are described throughout the book. The crucial roles of the indigenous microbiota in protecting against exogenous pathogens, regulating the development of our immune system and mucosae, and providing nutrients are also discussed. The involvement of these organisms in infections of healthy and debilitated individuals are discussed throughout and methods of manipulating the composition of the indigenous microbiota for the benefit of human health are also described.

    • Ecological approach to describing the origin and nature of the microbial communities living on humans
    • Emphasizes the important benefits to humans of these microbial communities
    • Describes the wide range of diseases caused by indigenous microbes
    Read more

    Reviews & endorsements

    'This authoritative book fills a gaping hole in the literature by describing how bacteria interrelate with us … The book's strength lies in the exhaustive, clearly organized evidence that the author presents to overwhelmingly document his hypothesis … His hard-nosed look at the evidence in the area of holistic medicine will be much appreciated by the skeptic and the enthusiast alike … He has made a valuable contribution by assembling in one place this comprehensive body of information.' Science

    '… this outstanding textbook heralds a holistic approach to microbiology … This book may be read very comfortably from cover-to-cover …'. Journal of the American Medical Association

    'The book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive review of current knowledge concerning the normal flora of a range of different sites on the body, and associated endogenous infections.' Society for General Microbiology

    'This is the first edition of this text book that gives an overview of the microbial inhabitants of the regions of the human body exposed to the external environment, including the skin, eyes, oral cavity and the respiratory, urinary, reproductive and gastrointestinal tracts. It is aimed at advanced students of microbiology, medical microbiology, microbial ecology and human biology … The test definitely makes for an interesting read and is well written, well referenced and has good diagrams, pictures and clear tables. The final chapter 'Manipulation of the indigenous microbiota using environmental determinants', is an interesting description of how infections may, in theory at least, be treated without antibiotics. Given the increasing microbial resistance problems that challenge daily practice, these concepts inevitably promote interest amongst microbiologists.' The Bulletin of the Royal College of Pathologists

    '… a well-written, affordable book which deserves to be on the shelf of every microbiology-oriented health professional and student of human diseases. … It will fit easily into the curriculum of microbiology graduate and advanced undergraduate students.' ASM News

    'This book should be appreciated for being ahead of its time. … Readers will find a wealth of information on a few key biological species from each anatomic region … The book is organized logically with a clearly outlined table of contents. The text is well written, and there are abundant useful tables throughout. The index is excellent.' Clinical Infectious Diseases

    'This book is an aerial view of exactly what the title describes and will instruct well those who want to grasp the scope of the vast and varied topic of the normal microflora.' The New England Journal of Medicine

    'This exceedingly thorough, up-to-date and complete treatise on microbial inhabitants of humans is warmly recommended for medical microbiologists, immunologists and physicians involved in the treatment and/or study of infectious diseases and teachers of medical microbiology and immunology.' Immunological Investigations

    See more reviews

    Customer reviews

    Not yet reviewed

    Be the first to review

    Review was not posted due to profanity

    ×

    , create a review

    (If you're not , sign out)

    Please enter the right captcha value
    Please enter a star rating.
    Your review must be a minimum of 12 words.

    How do you rate this item?

    ×

    Product details

    • Date Published: February 2005
    • format: Hardback
    • isbn: 9780521841580
    • length: 476 pages
    • dimensions: 254 x 178 x 27 mm
    • weight: 1.04kg
    • contains: 136 b/w illus. 2 colour illus. 194 tables
    • availability: Available
  • Table of Contents

    1. An introduction to the human-microbe symbiosis
    2. The skin and its indigenous microbiota
    3. The eye and its indigenous microbiota
    4. The respiratory system and its indigenous microbiota
    5. The urinary system and its indigenous microbiota
    6. The reproductive system and its indigenous microbiota
    7. The gastrointestinal tract and its indigenous microbiota
    8. The oral cavity and its indigenous microbiota
    9. Role of the indigenous microbiota in maintaining human health
    10. Manipulation of the indigenous microbiota.

  • Author

    Michael Wilson, University College London
    Michael Wilson is Professor of Microbiology in the Faculty of Clinical Sciences, University College London, and Head of the Department of Microbiology at the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Biofilms and has co-authored or edited numerous books, including Bacterial Disease Mechanisms (2002), Bacterial Adhesion to Host Tissues (2002) and Medical Implications of Biofilms (2003).

Related Books

also by this author

Sorry, this resource is locked

Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email [email protected]

Register Sign in
Please note that this file is password protected. You will be asked to input your password on the next screen.

» Proceed

You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.

Continue ×

Continue ×

Continue ×
warning icon

Turn stock notifications on?

You must be signed in to your Cambridge account to turn product stock notifications on or off.

Sign in Create a Cambridge account arrow icon
×

Find content that relates to you

Join us online

This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Read more Close

Are you sure you want to delete your account?

This cannot be undone.

Cancel

Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.

If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.

×
Please fill in the required fields in your feedback submission.
×