Part 2 book “Alcamo’s fundamentals of microbiology” has contents: Infection and disease, immunity and serology, antimicrobial drugs, immune disorders and AIDS, viral infections of the respiratory tract and skin, the viruses and virus-like agents, and other contents. | PART 4 Viruses and Eukaryotic Microorganisms CHAPTER 14 The Viruses and Virus-Like Agents CHAPTER 15 Viral Infections of the Respiratory Tract and Skin CHAPTER 16 Viral Infections of the Blood, Lymphatic, Gastrointestinal, and Nervous Systems CHAPTER 17 Eukaryotic Microorganisms: The Fungi CHAPTER 18 Eukaryotic Microorganisms: The Parasites he bacterial species we have examined in the previous chapters are but one of several groups of microbial agents interwoven with the False-color scanning transmission microscope lives of humans. Other prominent groups are the viruses, fungi, and image of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) attacking an Escherichia coli cell. parasites. Knowledge of these groups developed slowly during the early 1900s, partly because they were generally more difficult to isolate and cultivate than bacterial organisms. Also, the established methods for research into bacterial growth were more advanced than for other microorganisms, and investigators often chose to build on established knowledge rather than pursue uncharted courses of study. Moreover, the urgency to learn about the other groups was not as great because they did not appear to cause such great epidemics and pandemics. This perception changed in the second half of the 1900s. Many bacterial diseases came under control with the advent of vaccines and antibiotics, and the increased funding for biological research allowed attention to shift to other infectious agents. The viruses finally were identified and cultivated, and microbiologists laid the foundations for their study. Fungi gained prominence as tools in biological research, and scientists soon recognized their significance in ecology and industrial product manufacturing. As remote parts of the world opened to trade and travel, public health microbiologists realized the global impact of parasitic diseases. Moreover, as concern for the health of the world’s people increased, observers expressed revulsion at the thought that .
