The Complete Idiot's Guide to Microbiology

by Jeffrey J. Byrd, Tabitha M. Powledge

Small creatures of great importance.

Microbiology, the branch of biology that studies microorganisms and their effects on humans, is a key part of medical training curriculum. Written by a top professor of microbiology and an experienced science writer, this book is a basic microbiology course that can be understood by anyone, including medical students, professionals wanting to bone up on the subject, and laypersons wanting to know about the topic.
• Includes coverage on microbes and their relationship with each other, the body’s immune system, infectious diseases, biotechnology, and bioterrorism

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2006

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another book I’ve read exploring in my current interest in biology (a topic I didn’t learn much about in school). The book had a lot of interesting tidbits in addition to a clear explanation of basic microbiology. Unlike other ‘Complete Idiot’s’ books I’ve read this one was quite long at over 500 pages. Several chapters were devoted to each of the diseases caused by micro-organisms and naming the particular one that caused the disease. I found those chapters not useful, each disease was covered too briefly to be particularly valuable and I would never remember the organism name. So I skip-skimmed those chapters. The book is somewhat dated now (copyright 2006), a lot has happened in microbiology in the last 20 years.