Patrick R. Murray, Ken S. Rosenthal, and Michael A. Pfaller. Elsevier Mosby, 2009, 947 p., $83.95

Medical microbiology is the study of diseases caused by microbial pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Consequently, the subject of medical microbiology includes a vast amount of information regarding these microorganisms and the diseases they cause. This information includes factors such as the method of pathogenesis, epidemiology, lab diagnosis techniques, and methods of treatment, control, and prevention for each of the microbial pathogens. Presenting all this information in an effective textbook requires proper organization of the information. The textbook Medical Microbiology (6th edition), by Patrick R. Murray, Ken S. Rosenthal, and Michael A. Pfaller, is one such textbook that presents the extensive subject of medical microbiology in a detailed yet organized and straight forward manner.

First of all, this textbook is divided into eight color-coded sections that encompass 87 chapters. The first section includes only one chapter that introduces the reader to medical microbiology. The second section includes seven chapters that focus on the basic principles of medical microbiology such as the classification, structure, and molecular biology of each of the microorganisms. The third section of this textbook includes five chapters that provide the reader with some basic information regarding the components of the immune system and the roles they play in the various immune responses. This section also covers the topic of vaccines and immunization. The fourth section contains four chapters that thoroughly provide an overview of the lab techniques used for the diagnosis of diseases caused by these microorganisms. The lab techniques discussed in these chapters include microscopy, culturing, molecular techniques, and serological techniques.

Starting from the fifth section, the textbook begins to discuss each branch of microorganisms. The 30 chapters of section five discuss bacteria, the 20 chapters of section six discuss viruses, the 10 chapters of section seven discuss fungi, and the 10 chapters of section eight discuss the parasites. However, before discussing the specific pathogenic species of the microorganisms the first three chapters in each of these sections focus on the microorganism's method of pathogenesis, lab diagnosis, and the agents used to eliminate it or fight against it. Once this background information has been presented, each of the section begins to discuss the specific pathogenic species of the microorganisms.

The chapters discussing the specific pathogenic species of the microorganisms also exhibit effective organization. These chapters first discuss the species structure or morphology followed by its pathogenesis, epidemiology, clinical diseases, lab diagnosis, and then treatment, prevention, and control. Much of this information is summarized in tables throughout the chapters and essential details are provided in boxes that make it easier to read and review the information contained in the chapter. Moreover, the clinical diseases section of each of the chapters presents clinical cases along with pictures to help the reader relate the information to the real world. When appropriate other illustrations are also provided to help the visual learners in their reading and learning. In the end, the last chapter in each section helps summarize the information on selected species of the particular microorganism. Once again most of this information is presented in tables, which allows the reader to quickly review some of the basic information regarding selected pathogenic species of a microorganism.

Overall, this textbook does an excellent job of presenting the subject of medical microbiology in an effective manner that provides ample information regarding pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and other related topics. The information in this textbook is well organized, and it is also the most recent information as evident from the bibliography provided at the end of each chapter. Compared to other microbiology books this textbook is more detailed, more organized, and the pictures and illustrations used in it are of a higher quality. This textbook is ideal for upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and medical students taking courses that require an in-depth knowledge of microbial diseases. The organization of the textbook along with the use of tables and boxes in each of the chapters makes it easy for students to quickly review the information contained in a chapter. For the same reasons this textbook is also a great resource for professors teaching any microbiology course. However, due to the amount of detail presented in each of the chapters this textbook may not be the best choice for courses focusing on only a few of the microbial diseases or courses requiring only a general knowledge of the microorganisms and their diseases.

Huma Maliq
Christos Stathopoulos
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona