
Challenges of the Unseen World
A Laboratory Course in Microbiology
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Solving real-world health challenges in a learning environment
You are at an exciting gateway into the world of microorganisms. With nothing more than basic lab equipment such as microscopes, Petri dishes, media, and a handful of reagents, you will learn to isolate, grow, and identify bacteria that live all around us. This is no ordinary microbiology laboratory course; not only will you learn how to streak plates, use a microscope, perform a Gram stain, and prepare serial dilutions and spread plates—fundamental skills found in every microbiologist's toolkit—you will solve a series of public health–related challenges that many professional microbiologists encounter in their work.
By the end of this course, you will:
- Determine the origin of a nosocomial infection. Using foundational and molecular methods, you will determine whether the infections occurring in hospitalized patients are the result of contaminated medical items.
- Select the antibiotic to treat a patient with Crohn's disease. You will find minimum inhibitory concentrations of various antibiotics for a Pseudomonas strain associated with Crohn's disease.
- Pinpoint the source of lettuce contaminated with E. coli. Using molecular tools you will investigate a common food safety challenge, antibiotic-resistant E. coli and the potential for spread of this resistance in the environment.
- Find the farm releasing pathogens into a stream used for drinking water. Using bacteriophage load in water samples, you will locate the source of fecal contamination in the water supply of a village in an underdeveloped country.
- Evaluate the potential of bacteria to cause a urinary tract infection. You will test for biofilms, quorum sensing behavior, and chemotaxis and assess which disinfectants would be most effective for sanitizing contaminated surfaces.
Microbiology educators and researchers Richard Meyer and Stacie Brown have created this hands-on, engaging introduction to the essential laboratory skills in the microbial sciences that is sure to change the way you view the world around you.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- About the Authors
- Introduction
- Challenge One: Identifying the bacteria causing infections in hospital patients
- Lab One
- Lab Two
- Lab Three
- Challenge Two: Confirming the identification of a microorganism by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene
- Lab One
- Lab Two
- Challenge Three: Choosing an antibiotic to alleviate the symptoms of Crohn’s disease
- Lab One
- Lab Two
- Challenge Four: Tracking down the source of an E. coli strain causing a local outbreak of disease
- Lab One
- Lab Two
- Challenge Five: Using bacteriophage to identify the farm releasing pathogenic bacteria into a village stream
- Lab One
- Challenge Six: Evaluating the pathogenic potential of bacteria causing urinary infections
- Lab One
- Lab Two