Living in a microbial world -- The chemistry of life -- The cell : where life begins -- A field guide to microorganisms -- Life's gray zone: viruses and prions -- The microbiology of history and the history of microbiology -- Microbial genetics -- Metabolism and growth -- Microbial evolution : the origin and diversity of life -- A microbiologist's guide to ecology -- The nature of disease, part I : a pathogen's perspective -- The nature of disease, part II : host defense -- Control of microbial growth -- Epidemiology : who, what, when, where, and why? -- The future is here : microorganisms and biotechnology -- Guess who's coming to dinner: microorganisms and food -- Better living with microorganisms : industrial and applied microbiology.

"As with the first edition, this new edition of Living In A Microbial World is written for students taking a general microbiology course, or a microbiology-based course for non-science majors. The conversational style and use of practical, everyday examples make the essential concepts of microbiology accessible to a wide audience. Each chapter contains a series of case studies based on microbiology in the news, in history, and in literature. There are questions at the end of each case study and the end of each chapter, as well as an online quiz with help on answering the questions."-- Provided by publisher.