An accessible introduction to the world of microbes—from basic microbe biology through industrial applications Microbes affect our lives in a variety of ways—playing an important role in our health, food, agriculture, and environment. While some microbes are beneficial, others are pathogenic or opportunistic. Microbes: Concepts and Applications describes basic microbe biology and identification and shows not only how they operate in the subfields of medicine, biotechnology, environmental science, bioengineering, agriculture, and food science, but how they can be harnessed as a resource. It provides readers with a solid grasp of etiologic agents, pathogenic processes, epidemiology, and the role of microbes as therapeutic agents. Placing a major emphasis on omics technology, the book covers recent developments in the arena of microbes and discusses their role in industry and agriculture, as well as in related fields such as immunology, cell biology, and molecular biology. It offers complete discussions of the major bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic pathogens; includes information on emerging infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance, and bioterrorism; and talks about the future challenges in microbiology. The most complete treatment of microbial biology available, Microbes features eye-opening chapters on: Human and Microbial World Gene Technology: Application and Techniques Molecular Diagnostic and Medical Microbiology Identification and Classification of Microbes Diversity of Microorganisms Microbes in Agriculture Microbes as a Tool for Industry and Research Complete with charts and figures, this book is an invaluable textbook for university teachers, students, researchers, and people everywhere who care about microorganisms.