Microbial Inhabitants of Humans
Their Ecology and Role in Health and Disease

An advanced text on microorganisms indigenous to humans of key importance in health and disease.

Michael Wilson (Author)

9780521841580, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 November 2004

476 pages, 136 b/w illus. 2 colour illus. 194 tables
25.4 x 17.8 x 2.7 cm, 1.04 kg

'This exceedingly thorough, up-to-date and complete treatise on microbial inhabitants of humans is warmly recommended for medical microbiologists, immunologists and physicians involved in the treatment and/or study of infectious diseases and teachers of medical microbiology and immunology.' Immunological Investigations

This advanced textbook provides a unique overview of the microbial communities (normal indigenous microbiota) inhabiting those regions of the human body that are exposed to the external environment, including the skin, eyes, oral cavity and the respiratory, urinary, reproductive and gastrointestinal tracts. In order to understand why particular organisms are able to colonise an anatomical region and why the resulting microbial community has a particular composition, an ecological approach is essential. Consequently, the key anatomical and physiological characteristics of each body site are described throughout the book. The crucial roles of the indigenous microbiota in protecting against exogenous pathogens, regulating the development of our immune system and mucosae, and providing nutrients are also discussed. The involvement of these organisms in infections of healthy and debilitated individuals are discussed throughout and methods of manipulating the composition of the indigenous microbiota for the benefit of human health are also described.

1. An introduction to the human-microbe symbiosis
2. The skin and its indigenous microbiota
3. The eye and its indigenous microbiota
4. The respiratory system and its indigenous microbiota
5. The urinary system and its indigenous microbiota
6. The reproductive system and its indigenous microbiota
7. The gastrointestinal tract and its indigenous microbiota
8. The oral cavity and its indigenous microbiota
9. Role of the indigenous microbiota in maintaining human health
10. Manipulation of the indigenous microbiota.

Subject Areas: Human biology [PSX], Microbiology [non-medical PSG], Medical microbiology & virology [MMFM], Immunology [MJCM], Infectious & contagious diseases [MJCJ]