The book is written at a level appropriate for both medical students, physicians and infectious disease scientists. Medical relevance is emphasized throughout. Sections describe the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment of each infection, and the book concludes with a series of chapters that summarizes the infectious diseases in the context of the functioning organ systems. Organization Medical Microbiology begins with a review of the immune system, focusing on the body's response to invading microorganisms. Bacteria are then covered, first with a series of chapters presenting the general concepts of bacterial microbiology and then with chapters detailing the major bacterial pathogenes of humans.
Similar sections cover virology, mycology, and parasitology.
In each section, the introductory chapters stress the mechanisms of infection characteristic of that type of microorganism, thus providing the reader with a framework for understanding rather than memorizing the clinical behavior of the pathogens. The final section of the book Introduction to Infectious Diseases, is arranged by organ system and provides transition for clinical considerations. Primary acknowledgement must go to the many dedicated scientists who have discovered the principles of microbiology. The scientific literature acknowledges individual contributions, but textbooks cannot adequately pay such tribute. We are indebted to all these unnamed investigators.