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Microbes : the life-changing story of germs / Phillip K. Peterson.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Guilford, Connecticut : Prometheus Books, [2020]Copyright date: ©2020Description: xviii, 294 pages : illustration ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781633886346
  • 1633886344
Subject(s):
Contents:
Introduction: How tiny creatures make a huge impact -- Intimate friends. The tree of life ; It's a microbial world ; The human microbiome ; Departments of bodily defense ; It's all connected: the health of humans, animals, and our planet -- Mortal enemies. What has plagued us? ; Killer viruses ; The buzz on mosquito-borne infections ; Microbes in flight: birds and bats ; Don't breathe this air ; Microbes in the woods ; What's in the beef? ; Gut reactions ; When beauty isn't skin deep ; The perils of antibiotic misuse -- Germs in the future. The straight poop on fecal transplants ; Healing with friendly bacteria and fungi ; Healing with friendly viruses ; The future of vaccines ; Microbes and the sixty extinction ; Science, ignorance, and mystery -- Appendix: Landmark discoveries and notable germs.
Summary: "With straight-forward and engaging writing, infectious diseases physician Phillip Peterson surveys how our understanding of viruses has changed throughout history, from early plagues and pandemics to more recent outbreaks like HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and the Zika virus. Microbes also takes on contemporary issues like the importance of vaccinations in the face of the growing anti-vaxxer movement, as well as the rise of cutting-edge health treatments like fecal transplants. Microbes explains for general readers where these germs came from, what they do to and for us, and what can be done to stop the bad actors and foster the benefactors"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 616.9041 P485 Checked out 07/13/2024 33111010388433
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This is the only book that tells both sides of the story of germs: that they are critically important for our health and that the dangers of emerging pathogens continue to wreak havoc in our bodies and around the world.

With straight-forward and engaging writing, infectious diseases physician Phillip Peterson surveys how our understanding of viruses has changed throughout history, from early plagues and pandemics to more recent outbreaks like HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Zika, and Coronavirus.

Microbes also takes on contemporary issues like the importance of vaccinations in the face of the growing anti-vaxxer movement, as well as the rise of cutting-edge health treatments like fecal transplants.

Peterson relays his first-hand experience dealing with an unprecedented emergence of new microbial threats. Yet at the same time he has witnessed the astounding recent discoveries of the crucial role of the microbes that colonize our body surfaces in human health.

Microbes explains for general readers where these germs came from, what they do to and for us, and what can be done to stop the bad actors and foster the benefactors.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-281) and index.

Introduction: How tiny creatures make a huge impact -- Intimate friends. The tree of life ; It's a microbial world ; The human microbiome ; Departments of bodily defense ; It's all connected: the health of humans, animals, and our planet -- Mortal enemies. What has plagued us? ; Killer viruses ; The buzz on mosquito-borne infections ; Microbes in flight: birds and bats ; Don't breathe this air ; Microbes in the woods ; What's in the beef? ; Gut reactions ; When beauty isn't skin deep ; The perils of antibiotic misuse -- Germs in the future. The straight poop on fecal transplants ; Healing with friendly bacteria and fungi ; Healing with friendly viruses ; The future of vaccines ; Microbes and the sixty extinction ; Science, ignorance, and mystery -- Appendix: Landmark discoveries and notable germs.

"With straight-forward and engaging writing, infectious diseases physician Phillip Peterson surveys how our understanding of viruses has changed throughout history, from early plagues and pandemics to more recent outbreaks like HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and the Zika virus. Microbes also takes on contemporary issues like the importance of vaccinations in the face of the growing anti-vaxxer movement, as well as the rise of cutting-edge health treatments like fecal transplants. Microbes explains for general readers where these germs came from, what they do to and for us, and what can be done to stop the bad actors and foster the benefactors"-- Provided by publisher.

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