Mercedes Berlanga

Berlanga, Mercedes

Hemeroteca Cientifica Catalana

BOOK REVIEWSINTERNATIONAL MICROBIOLOGY (2008) 11:65-73ISSN: 1139-6709 www.im.microbios.org Brock Biology ofmicroorganisms12th edn.MICHAEL T. MADIGAN,JOHN M. MARTINKO,PAUL V. DUNLAP,DAVID P. CLARK2009,Pearson Benjamin Cummings,San Francisco, CA1061 pp, 22 × 28 cmPrice: US$ 165.20ISBN 0-13-232460-1Microorganisms are present in every habitat on Earth and arecrucial to the sustainability of life. Anton van Leeuwenhoek’sobservations, 325 years ago, were among the first of manystartling insights that have elucidated the biology of microor-ganisms. In the 1960s, progress made in the fields of basicand applied microbiology resulted in the insights that usheredin the current era of molecular microbiology. Today, micro-bial research is close to defining the minimal genome (theminimum complement of genes necessary for a living cell)and thus, at least in biochemical terms, all of the prerequisitesfor life. Clearly, the study of microorganisms is essential foran understanding of all life on our planet. The careful readerof Brock Biology of microorganisms (BBOM) will be pre-pared to understand the microbial world, what microorgan-isms are, what they do. For professionals as well as students,the BBOM is an essential source of information about the lat-est discoveries in microbiology. The continuing success ofthis textbook, and evidence of the rapid advances in ourunderstanding of microorganisms, is reflected in the new edi-tions published every three years. Indeed, the history of thisbook goes back nearly 40 years! Thomas D. Brock authoredthe first edition in 1970; shortly thereafter, the book wastranslated into several languages, including the Spanishtranslation by Ricardo Guerrero, prepared as soon as in 1971.As a tribute to Brock, the book has incorporated his nameinto the title since the 8th edition.The teaching function of this book begins with the coverphoto, which shows the filamentous bacterium Crenothrix,and the information about this microorganism provided onthe back cover. The text includes important pedagogicaltools, such as sidebars, reviews of key terms, mini-reviews,review questions, and application questions, all of which areaimed at reinforcing the topics discussed in each chapter.Additional information can be obtained from the book’s web-site [www.microbiologyplace.com].The textbook is organized into 37 chapters comprisingnine units, with the four first constituting the body of thebook. In this 12th edition, two co-authors (PV Dunlap andDP Clark) make their debut, and their contributions havegreatly strengthened the chapters on molecular bio-logy/genetics and evolution/systematics. The book’s visualpresentation is excellent: A fabulous photograph introduceseach chapter. Illustrations and photomicrographs give readersa clear and fascinating view of the microbial world. Tablesand figures have been completely redesigned to make theinformation easier to understand. Chapters included in a Unitare color-coded at the upper right-hand corner. Considerableimprovements in the text have been made as well. Of note isthe fact that this is the only general microbiology book thatdescribes extensively the unique biology of Archaea (anato-my, flagella, molecular biology, replication, transcription andprotein synthesis, regulation of gene expression, geneticexchange, and diversity). Unit 1, “Principles of microbiology” (Chaps. 1–6), pro-vides the student with a basic background in microbiology,including historical perspectives, microbial structure, structureand function of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and thegrowth and nutritional requirements of microorganisms. Oneof the most significant advances in microbial biology in recentyears has been the discovery of broadly conserved cytoskele-tal elements in bacteria. Although the absence of a cytoskele-ton was one of the features originally used to distinguishprokaryotes from eukaryotes, bacteria in fact contain many ofthe cytoskeletal elements that are found in eukaryotic cells,such as microtubules, actin, and intermediate-filament homo-logs (i.e., MreB, FtsZ, and crescentin), which have significantfunctions in diverse cellular processes. The book’s discussionof cell division is supported by spectacular color photos.Unit 2, “Molecular biology of microorganisms” (Chaps.7–13), describes essential and current topics of microbialgenetics and molecular biology in Bacteria, Archaea, andEukarya and provides an overview of viruses and prions. Italso underlines the revolution in molecular biology that hasresulted from the development of modern in vitro molecularmethods, such as cloning and genetic engineering. BBOMhas also expanded its coverage of the regulation of geneexpression, with special emphasis on Bacillus sporulationand the life cycle of Caulobacter.Unit 3, “Microbial diversity” (Chaps. 13–19), provides anevolutionary and systematic foundation for the diversity of66 INT. MICROBIOL. Vol. 11, 2008 BOOK REVIEWSmicrobial life, from the earliest cells to eukaryotes. The dis-cussion encompasses the major bacterial groups (phyla),such as proteobacteria, gram-positive bacteria, and cyano-bacteria, as well as Archaea, Eukarya (protists, fungi andunicellular algae), and viral diversity, from bacteriophages toanimal and plant viruses.Unit 4, “Metabolic diversity and microbial ecology”(Chaps. 20–24), strongly emphasizes the idea that, inprokaryotes, diversity is expressed in terms of metabolismrather than structure, as evidenced by the ability of microor-ganisms to make use of a wide range of energy sources andelectron acceptors. The long-standing inability to enrich ordetect organisms capable of anaerobic growth on methaneand ammonium compounds led to the idea that ammoniumand methane were inert under anoxic conditions; however, itis now apparent that this is not true. Recent studies usingmolecular techniques have shown that the syntrophic consor-tium of an archaeon and a sulfate-reducing bacterium isinvolved in anaerobic methane oxidation, and that anaerobicammonium oxidation (“anammox”) contributes significantlyto biological nitrogen cycling in the world’s oceans—up to50% of marine N2 production. BBOM outlines the basic prin-ciples of microbial ecology and examines the types of habi-tats where microorganisms are found, along with nutrientcycles, bioremediation, and symbioses. Also included arereviews of current methods to study the diversity and activi-ties of microorganisms. Unit 5, “Putting microorganisms to work” (Chaps. 25 and26), describes applications of microbial activities (fermenta-tions) to food and industrial production, and the use ofbiotechnology for industrial or commercial processes, suchas the production of hormones, proteins (enzymes), geneti-cally engineered vaccines, and transgenic organisms. Geneticengineering can make plants resistant to certain insects, e.g.,through the introduction of genes encoding the protein toxinof Bacillus thuringiensis, Bt-toxin. This same technique canyield improvements in product quality (i.e., enrichment ofvitamins or some amino acids). Unit 6, “Antimicrobial agents and pathogenicity” (Chaps.27 and 28), shifts the focus to the relationships betweenhumans and microorganisms. First, the major methods ofmicrobial control, i.e., the use of physical treatments (heat,radiation and filtration) and chemical biocides (alcohols,aldehydes, antimicrobial metals, and halogens), to achievemicrobial disinfection and sterilization of surfaces or materi-als are discussed. Antimicrobial agents (antibiotics) used fortreating infectious diseases and the challenges posed byantibiotic resistance are described. In addition, the unit offersoverviews of the microorganisms that inhabit the healthyhuman body, the harmful interactions that cause disease, andthe mechanisms of pathogenesis.Units 7–9 (Chaps. 29–37) start off with the subject ofimmunology—specifically, with the immune response thathas evolved in humans to recognize and destroy dangerouspathogens. Both innate and adaptive (acquired) immunity aredescribed.  Unit 8, “Diagnosing and tracking infectious dis-eases”, discusses a major objective of the clinical microbiol-ogist, to identify the microorganisms that cause illness, andthe culture, immunologic, and molecular methods used toachieve this goal. In, Unit 9, “Microbial diseases,” microbialinfectious diseases are grouped within each chapter accord-ing to their mode of transmission.The BBOM not only contains fundamental knowledgeessential to an introductory course on general microbiology,but also information for students seeking to expand or updatetheir knowledge of the current state of microbiology. As theevolutionary biologist Stephen J. Gould put it, we are livingon “Planet Bacteria”. It is an exciting time to be a part of thescience of microbiology—as BBOM once again wellreminds us.MERCEDES BERLANGAUniversity of Barcelonamberlanga@ub.edu

Brock Biology of microorganisms 12th edn.

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Brock Biology of microorganisms 12th edn.

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