A Review of The Microbial Challenge

doi:10.1128/jmbe.v12i1.290

Michael R. Leonardo
Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA, E-mail:
mleonard@coe.edu.

The Microbial Challenge; 2^nd ed.; Robert I. Krasner; (2010). Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA. 476 pages.

This textbook is designed to introduce the non-major to the world of microbiology and public health. I am very intrigued with its incorporation of public health concepts, since many authors of such texts are trained as microbiologists and educators, but not necessarily as public health scientists as well. This brings a slightly different perspective to the book. Unlike texts meant for a typical majors’ course, this one focuses only upon the “handful” of microorganisms known to cause disease. It also puts into perspective the important role of microorganisms in everyday life and helps students develop into informed and critical thinking adults.

The author used reviews from the first edition to reorganize the textbook into four logically presented parts: “The Challenge”, “Microbial Disease”, “Meeting the Challenge”, and “Current Challenges”. Core concepts are covered in the first section (including a new chapter on microbial genetics); human diseases in the second; and strategies for dealing with microbial disease in the third. The new fourth section on “Current Challenges” presents important current topics such as emerging diseases and biological weapons. There is also flexibility – adopters have the freedom to use a chapter (or parts of chapters) in the order that makes most sense for their courses. Chapters are organized to help students stay focused: each begins with an outline, then provides a preview, and ends with an overview that includes self-evaluation questions. There are also feature boxes designed to stimulate interest in current topics related to the chapter.

Non-majors will find this book easier to use than other types of microbiology texts. It is not full of the so-called “fluff” information that tends to overwhelm the student. Explanations are clear and to the point, and students will benefit from the concise nature of the material presented. The author also uses humor very effectively. Most importantly, the illustrations and the images of disease symptoms are critical improvements over several other textbooks I have used in the past. This text does an excellent job of helping students understand disease by describing symptoms with good visual reinforcement, including many unique pictures taken by the author during his 40-plus years of experience.

The textbook is concise (476 pages) and soft-covered, making it less expensive than many others in the field. Because it is not meant for a major’s course, it lacks important topics such as microbial evolution and diversity, and does not cover every human microbial disease. It does include a chapter on protozoan and helminth diseases, which can be absent from other microbiology texts. An instructor’s tool kit is available with PowerPoint lecture outlines, along with an image bank (including the unique images) and a test bank. There is also a student companion website providing mechanisms for learning enhancement such as chapter summaries, self quizzes, and key term reviews.

Overall, I find this to be a solid, well-written book showing a wonderful blend of public health concepts and microbiology. The topics are covered thoroughly and improvements on the first edition make it much more flexible for use with non-majors. There are very few textbooks intended to teach non-majors the important concepts of microbiology. As a professor for over ten years at predominantly undergraduate institutions, I feel that this is one of the best texts using a multidisciplinary approach that I have read. I highly recommend it for teaching a diverse-perspective course to non-majors. It can also be used to teach an allied health course, given its focus on public health.

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JMBE
ISSN: 1935-7885

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Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education

A Review of The Microbial Challenge