Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters and index.

Online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed October 16, 2014).

Cover image; Title page; Table of Contents; Copyright; List of Contributors; Preface; Preface to the First Edition; Volume 1; Chapter 1. Molecular Medical Microbiology -- The Expanding Concept; A Brief History; Molecular Medical Microbiology; References; Part 1: Bacterial Structure; Chapter 2. Bacterial Ultrastructure; General Morphology; Surface Appendages; Cell Wall; Nucleoid; Cytoplasmic Inclusions; Cell Division; Bacterial Conjugation; Bacterial Sporulation; Bacterial Germination; Bacterial Biofilms; Microscopy and Microbiology; References; Acknowledgements; Chapter 3. Bacterial Capsules.

IntroductionChemistry of Capsules; Genetics of Capsular Biosynthesis; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Gram-Positive Bacteria; Biosynthesis of Capsules; Wzy-Dependent Polymerization; ABC Transporter-Dependent Polymerization; Synthase-Dependent Polymerization; Attachment of Bacterial Capsules to the Cell Surface; Regulation of Capsular Synthesis; Modulation at the DNA Level; Modulation at the Transcriptional Level; Biological Functions of Capsules; References; Acknowledgements; Chapter 4. Genetics and Biosynthesis of Lipopolysaccharide; Overview; Classical Pathway of Lipid A-Kdo2 Biosynthesis.

Biosynthesis and Assembly of the Core OligosaccharideRemodelling of the Lipid A-Inner Core Oligosaccharide; Biosynthesis and Assembly of OAg; Export of LPS to the Outer Membrane; References; Acknowledgements; Chapter 5. Teichoic Acids, Lipoteichoic Acids and Other Secondary Cell Wall and Membrane Polysaccharides of Gram-Positive Bacteria; Structure of Wall Teichoic Acids and their Attachment to the Cell Wall; Structure and Properties of Lipoteichoic Acids; The Cellular Roles of Teichoic Acids; The Biological Activities of Wall Teichoic Acids; Biological Activities of Lipoteichoic Acids.

Genetics and Regulation of Anionic Polymer SynthesisAcknowledgement; References; Chapter 6. Peptidoglycan; Introduction; The Basic Chemical Structure of Peptidoglycan; Biophysical Properties of Peptidoglycan; Architecture of Peptidoglycan; Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis and Modifications; Covalent Attachment of Secondary Cell Wall Polymers to Peptidoglycan; Covalent Attachment of Proteins to Peptidoglycan; Peptidoglycan Synthesis During the Cell Cycle; References; Acknowledgements; Chapter 7. Flagella; Flagellar Function; Flagellar Structure; Assembly System of Flagella; Export Apparatus.

Morphological PathwayOrigin of Flagella; Conclusion; Acknowledgement; References; Chapter 8. Pili and Fimbriae of Gram-Negative Bacteria; Introduction; Chaperone-Usher Pathway Pili; CUP Pilus Architecture; Subunit Structure; Assembly Proteins and Mechanisms; Ushers; Alternative Chaperone-Usher Pathways; Diversity of CUP Systems in Disease; Different Pilus Systems Involved in Adhesion and Disease; Curli: Extracellular Nucleation/Precipitation Pathway; Interfering With the Pilus; References; Chapter 9. Endospores, Sporulation and Germination; Endospore Structure and Resistance.

The molecular age has brought about dramatic changes in medical microbiology, and great leaps in our understanding of the mechanisms of infectious disease. Molecular Medical Microbiology is the first book to synthesise the many new developments in both molecular and clinical research in a single comprehensive resource. This timely and authoritative three-volume work is an invaluable reference source of medical bacteriology. Comprising more than 100 chapters, organized into 17 major sections, the scope of this impressive work is wide-ranging. Written by experts in the field, chapters include cutting-edge information, and clinical overviews for each major bacterial group, in addition to the latest updates on vaccine development, molecular technology and diagnostic technology. Topics covered include bacterial structure, cell function, and genetics; mechanisms of pathogenesis and prevention; antibacterial agents; and infections ranging from gastrointestinal to urinary tract, centrtal nervous system, respiratory tract, and more.