Contents:

The powers of bacteria --
Skin and muccosa: the first lines of defense against bacterial infections --
The innate immune system: always on guard --
The adaptive defenses: antibodies and cytotoxic T cells --
The microbiota of the human body: microbiomes and beyond --
Microbes and disease: establishing a connection --
Mechanisms of genetic modification and exchange: role in pathogen evolution --
Identification of virulence factors: measuring infectivity and virulence --
Identification of virulence factors: molecular approaches for bacterial factors --
Identification of virulence factors: molecular approaches for host factors --
Bacterial strategies for colonization and survival in the host --
Toxins and other toxic virulence factors --
Delivery of virulence factors --
Virulence regulation --
Antimicrobial compounds and their targets --
Antibiotic resistance --
Vaccination: a critical component of the modern medical armamentarium --
The gram-positive opportunistic pathogens --
The gram-negative opportunistic pathogens --
The changing roles of microbiologists in an age of bioterrorism and emerging diseases --
Glossary --
Index.

Summary:

Completely revised and updated to capture new research findings, the third edition of this best-selling text is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to bacterial pathogenesis for both students and researchers. The authors integrate material from pathogenic microbiology, molecular biology, immunology, and human physiology to provide a complete but accessible overview of the field.