A Review of Allies and Enemies: How the World Depends on Bacteria

doi:10.1128/jmbe.v12i2.330

Jerry H. Kavouras
Lewis University, Romeoville, IL, E-mail:
kavourje@lewisu.edu .

Review of: Allies and Enemies: How the World Depends on Bacteria ; 1st edition; Anne Maczulak; (2011). FT Press, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 210 pages.

Most microbiologists would be enthusiastic to read a book with the title: Allies and Enemies: How the World Depends on Bacteria — and they would not be disappointed in this case. Anne Maczulak does a good job highlighting the significance of microbes in our lives, and the manner in which they have influenced our society and shaped the planet upon which we live. The target audience clearly includes the nonscientist who has an interest in microbes and those who need a refresher in microbiology, such as students. But experienced microbiologists will also find it a quick, pleasant read. The writing is appropriate for nonscientists. It is not too technical that one becomes lost or loses interest, and it explains important concepts in microbiology at a level that is comprehensible and accurate.

The content is delivered in a logical manner. The author begins with a discussion of “what are bacteria?” followed by a review of major plagues in human history. The reader learns of the advances of medicine in the struggle against germs. There is a solid discussion of plagues, the discovery of antibiotics as effective treatments for infectious diseases, and the unfortunate reality that bacteria are becoming resistant — making more of our current drugs ineffective. The book continues with the benefits of genetic engineering, then moves into the significance of microbes in ecosystems and how bacteria shaped our planet.

There are many “juicy” tidbits throughout the book for the readers who are interested in more than the science: a list of famous people who died from tuberculosis, the use of agar in culture media, the sad tale of Mary Mallon, etc. My favorite part of the book is towards the end where the reader learns the crucial role of bacteria in the formation of petroleum from plant and animal matter over the course of millions of years. This fact is rarely discussed in microbiology courses. Overall, the explanations and stories are thorough, but there were times when I wanted more. However, I understand that this would probably mean the author would lose the interest of the target audience.

I believe an experienced instructor can easily use this book as a primary text for an introductory microbiology course for nonscientists. Initially, when I flipped through the book, it felt like a textbook with images such as phylogenetic trees, how to pour agar into a Petri dish, and disk diffusion assays inserted throughout the book. The epilogue describing serial dilutions, aseptic technique, and plate counts only reinforced that feeling. On reading the book, I noted there were many areas where the author provided standard textbook explanations for the reader (e.g., binomial nomenclature), which would be very helpful to nonscience majors in a course.

The book covers many major themes of microbiology. As a bonus, it has a thorough list of print and Internet resources organized for the reader (or instructor) by book chapter in the appendix. There is also a general list of resources at the beginning of the appendix for learning more about bacteria. The resources are a mix of research articles, websites, and books. I definitely recommend that instructors take a look at this useful appendix. Students will also appreciate the inexpensive price of the book.

Overall, it is a good book, a fun read, and has the potential to be used in the classroom or as a desk reference.

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JMBE
ISSN: 1935-7885

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Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education

A Review of Allies and Enemies: How the World Depends on Bacteria