This concise volume reviews the most current and topical aspects of Acinetobacter genetics and molecular biology and is aimed at a readership of research scientists, graduate students and other specialists. Expert international authors have contributed chapters on diverse topics including taxonomy, lipopolysaccharides, catabolism of aromatic compounds, transformation systems, transcriptional regulation, applications in biotechnology, the molecular basis for virulence and pathogenicity, molecular epidemiology, and antibiotic resistance. This book is highly recommended for anyone involved in Aci.

This detailed volume serves clinicians and basic science researchers studying the increasingly antibiotic resistant Gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii. Chapters detail microbiological techniques, biochemical techniques, clinical samples, and next generation omics techniques to characterize the organism at the molecular level. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Acinetobacter baumannii: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this high priority area of antibiotic study.

The 1st International Workshop on Acinetobacter was held on 6th September, 1986, in Manchester, England, in association with the 14th International Congress of Microbiology. That occasion was so well attended and productive that there were soon discussions about how, when and where the next meeting should be held. This time, however, there was sufficient confidence to think of a more substantial meeting and to plan for the proceedings to be published. It emerged that there was wide agreement that the time was ripe to take stock of the entire biology of Acinetobacter: its occurrence and taxonomy; its molecular biology, biochemistry and physiology; its clinical importance and its industrial and commercial applications. The 2nd International Workshop on Acinetobacter took place from 6th to 7th September, 1990, at the Institut Pasteur, Paris, and was sponsored by the Federation of European Microbiological Societies. There were about 100 participants from 19 countries. The backbone of the meeting consisted of 23 plenary lectures. There were 28 posters and the meeting closed with a general discussion which went on long after the official finishing time despite all the counter-attractions of a sunny Parisian Friday afternoon. Indeed discussions continued while cruising along the Seine and while dining at the top of the Tour Montparnasse. However, the vitality and usefulness of even the most successful meeting is difficult to transmit by the printed word.

Acinetobacter details the clinical aspects of this bacterium responsible for many infections in hospitalized patients. This reference explains the importance of these organisms, both from the patient's viewpoint and the economic perspective, and provides clinicians with the knowledge they need to control these bacteria.

The second edition of Microbiology of Waterborne Diseases describes the diseases associated with water, their causative agents and the ways in which they gain access to water systems. The book is divided into sections covering bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Other sections detail methods for detecting and identifying waterborne microorganisms, and the ways in which they are removed from water, including chlorine, ozone, and ultraviolet disinfection. The second edition of this handbook has been updated with information on biofilms and antimicrobial resistance. The impact of global warming and climate change phenomena on waterborne illnesses are also discussed. This book serves as an indispensable reference for public health microbiologists, water utility scientists, research water pollution microbiologists environmental health officers, consultants in communicable disease control and microbial water pollution students. Focuses on the microorganisms of most significance to public health, including E. coli, cryptosporidium, and enterovirus Highlights the basic microbiology, clinical features, survival in the environment, and gives a risk assessment for each pathogen Contains new material on antimicrobial resistance and biofilms Covers drinking water and both marine and freshwater recreational bathing waters

There is currently increasing interest concerning the biology and disease caused by Acinetobacter species. Such interest, however, developed relatively slowly because of the necessity to clarify the confusing taxonomy of these organisms. Much work was needed to identify various species as members of this genus, to recognize their epidemiologic profile, their pathogenic role and their increasing importance as multi-antibiotic resistant organisms. In recent years improvement of genetic approaches, recognition of plasmids, integrons and chromosomal sources of resistance mechanisms aroused interest on the role of Acinetobacters in disease by many microbiologists and clinicians, especially internists and infectious disease specialists. In this regard, physicians are frequently confronted with extremely difficult therapeutic approaches for treatment and prevention of severe nosocomial infections due to multi antibiotic resistant Acinetobacter. Moreover, recent observations of community acquired infections have been reported, especially in patients with various risk factors such as immuno-deficiencies. Also, it is now becoming evident that Acinetobacter infections occur frequently in violent situations such as earthquake or war zones. The mechanisms of Acinetobacter virulence are becoming increasingly clear, providing new insights into their pathogenic role in community acquired infections. It is apparent the time is appropriate for detailed review of the increasing knowledge concerning important new information, both clinical and therapeutic, especially information concerning virulence, resistance mechanisms and typing of Acinetobacter spp. Many new findings are accumulating in almost an exponential manner since publication of previous books on this subject in 1991 and 1996.

An electrifying memoir of one woman's extraordinary effort to save her husband's life-and the discovery of a forgotten cure that has the potential to save millions more. "A memoir that reads like a thriller." -New York Times Book Review "A fascinating and terrifying peek into the devastating outcomes of antibiotic misuse-and what happens when standard health care falls short." -Scientific American Epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee and her husband, psychologist Tom Patterson, were vacationing in Egypt when Tom came down with a stomach bug. What at first seemed like a case of food poisoning quickly turned critical, and by the time Tom had been transferred via emergency medevac to the world-class medical center at UC San Diego, where both he and Steffanie worked, blood work revealed why modern medicine was failing: Tom was fighting one of the most dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the world. Frantic, Steffanie combed through research old and new and came across phage therapy: the idea that the right virus, aka "the perfect predator," can kill even the most lethal bacteria. Phage treatment had fallen out of favor almost 100 years ago, after antibiotic use went mainstream. Now, with time running out, Steffanie appealed to phage researchers all over the world for help. She found allies at the FDA, researchers from Texas A&M, and a clandestine Navy biomedical center -- and together they resurrected a forgotten cure. A nail-biting medical mystery, The Perfect Predator is a story of love and survival against all odds, and the (re)discovery of a powerful new weapon in the global superbug crisis.