Discusses various types of bacteria and viruses, methods of fighting diseases, and how bacteria and viruses can be used to benefit people and the environment.

Bacteria and viruses are among the oldest agents on Earth and reveal much about the planet's past and evolution. As scientists and doctors make progress in fighting the harmful effects of bacteria and viruses, they also often make discoveries that can lead to life-saving vaccines and antibiotics, making the fields of microbiology and biochemistry more intriguing and challenging than ever. In this volume, readers will venture into the realm of bacteria and viruses to explore these constantly changing agents and the roles they play in nature, medicine, and disease.

Explains good and bad germs, the different kinds, how they can help you, how some cause diseases, and how we fight diseases.

Viruses, Bacteria and Fungi in the Built Environment: Designing Healthy Indoor Environments opens with a brief introduction to viruses, bacteria and fungi in the built environment and discusses their impact on human health. Sections discuss the microbiology of building materials, the airborne transmission of viruses and bacteria in the built environment, and plumbing-associated microbiome. As the first book on this important area to be written in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this work will be a valuable reference resource for researchers, civil engineers, architects, postgraduate students, contractors and other professionals working and interested in the field of the built environment. Elements of building design, including choice of materials, ventilation and plumbing can have important implications for the microbiology of a building, and consequently, the health of the building's occupants. This important new reference work explains the microbiology of buildings and disease control in the built environment to those who design and implement new construction and renovate. - Provides an essential guide on the microbiology of buildings, covering bacteria, fungi and viruses on surfaces, in air and in water - Comprehensively examines how humidity influences fungal growth in several building materials - Includes important information about the airborne transmission of infectious agents - Addresses ventilation design to improve human health - Presents the first book on disease control in buildings since the COVID-19 pandemic

Polymicrobial diseases, those involving more than one etiologic agent, are more common than is generally realized and include respiratory diseases, gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, keratitis, hepatitis, periodontal diseases, multiple sclerosis, genital infections, intra -- abdominal infections, and pertussis.