Bücher der Reihe Advances in Molecular and Cellular Microbiology

When we think of bacteria our thoughts immediately turn to disease. However, scientists are increasingly likely to study how bacteria get along with us. This book is the first to discuss how bacteria cooperate with their animal hosts and how this cooperation can be beneficial to both bacteria and host.

An overview of current knowledge regarding the mechanisms of phagocytosis and how specific pathogenic bacteria avoid or exploit these mechanisms. The receptors and signal transduction events involved are discussed, followed by examples of specific bacterial pathogens and the strategies they use in confronting professional phagocytes.

Over the past decade researchers have shown that bacteria have evolved many ways of evading immunity and hence causing infection. Our present understanding of these mechanisms is described in this book, which will appeal to graduate students and researchers in microbiology, immunology, as well as in pharmacology and molecular medicine.

Antimicrobial peptides are the only new class of antimicrobial agent discovered in recent years, and there is interest in them as alternatives to conventional antibiotics. This book, drawing together contributions from many leading scientists, reviews the most significant recent advances in the field.

Bacterial adhesion to host cells/tissues is essential for maintaining normal, protective host microflora. It is also the crucial first stage in any infectious disease. The molecular mechanisms described in this book are therefore of great interest to microbiologists and those seeking means of preventing and treating bacterial infections.

Leading researchers discuss key aspects of the biology of Salmonella enterica infections in this broad-ranging book. It will equip the reader with detailed and up-to-date knowledge of S. enterica, giving an integrated view of clinical, molecular and immunological aspects of these infections.

Molecular interactions between bacteria and host cells is not unidirectional - both pathogens and host cells engage in a signalling cross-talk. This book details the remarkable variety of host-pathogen interactions, uniquely providing a comprehensive understanding of the host-bacterial interactions that occur at mucosal surfaces including the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urogenital tracts.

This book is concerned with the mechanisms underlying recombination in bacterial DNA.

Bacterial toxins are potent molecular poisons that are released by bacteria to cause disease. This 2005 book describes how toxins can enter cells to subvert cell function by interfering with the key processes involved in cell growth and division, and the ability of cells to differentiate into specialised cells.

Many bacteria survive infection of their host in a low growth state, including the classic persistent infectious bacteria, tuberculosis. This 2003 book will interest microbiologists, medical microbiologists and infectious disease clinicians who are interested in learning more about the fundamental science of bacterial dormancy in relation to disease.

Extensive evidence has accumulated that host genes are important determinants of the outcome of infection for many common pathogens. This book, written by leading authorities, summarizes advances which have been made in understanding the complexity of host genetic susceptibility.