N. Cary Engleberg, Victor DiRita, and Terence S. Dermody. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, Md., and Philadelphia, 2007, 762 p. $69.95 (paperback).

Microbial diseases and the microbes that cause said diseases are prevalent throughout the world. Indeed, there are a bewildering amount of causative agents for microbial disease and keeping track of them is a monumental task. The 4th edition of Schaechter's Mechanisms of Microbial Disease does an admirable job of presenting a wide selection of microbes and the diseases they cause in a pathological framework that is concise and understandable. The book is relatively short at 762 pages but covers a respectable amount of information in three sections and 76 chapters.

The first section is 138 pages long and is comprised of nine introductory chapters that provide a framework for the information in the following chapters. It contains information on normal microbial flora, biology of microbes, how antibiotics work, how our immune system works, how toxins damage the host, and several other topics. Perhaps the most important introductory chapter is the first chapter where the authors introduce the concept of how infectious diseases are established. The concepts of encounter, entry, spread, multiplication, damage and outcome are used throughout the book and provides a common theme that unites the following chapters.

The second section is by far the largest section of the text at 413 pages and 48 chapters. This section is further divided between bacteria (21 chapters), viruses (15 chapters), fungi (5 chapters), parasites (5 chapters) and miscellaneous pathogens (2 chapters). Each of the subsections other than the miscellaneous pathogens contains an introductory chapter that introduces the organisms of the following chapters and covers some of their basic biology. Additionally, the bacteria, virus, and fungi sections contain a chapter at the end that addresses antimicrobial drugs and treatments that deal with these organisms. The remaining chapters are given over to specific organisms or related organisms and all contain an introductory section, where characteristics unique to the organisms are explained, followed by sections on encounter, entry, spread, multiplication, damage, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and a concluding section. Furthermore, each chapter contains at least one case study, which is immensely helpful in putting the disease in a clinical perspective. Finally, there are boxed sections of text called "paradigm boxes" throughout the chapters that address broader topics that apply to the organisms at hand and help to further understanding of the disease being studied.

The final section of the text changes the perspective and looks at the pathology of infections of specific parts of the body and gives the perspective of a system such as the respiratory system rather than a specific organism. This section is comprised of 19 chapters and is 173 pages long. It continues with a theme of encounter, entry, spread, multiplication, damage, treatment, and prevention and also continues to present unique case studies in each chapter.

This is an extremely informative text and covers a wide variety of diseases and organisms. Perhaps its greatest strengths-the number of topics covered and the concise nature of the text-are also its greatest weaknesses, as an average chapter length of 9 pages is not enough room to cover anything but the most basic information known about these organisms. Still, the short nature of the book coupled with the affordable price should make this an attractive text for many students and professors that need a book that will deliver the basic information in an unintimidating fashion. One must just be ready to supplement the information offered within this book, especially if looking at it from a molecular perspective.

Eric Smith
Christos Stathopoulos
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona