Bücher veröffentlicht von Caister Academic Press

As bacterial antibiotic resistance continues to exhaust our supply of effective antibiotics, a global public health disaster appears likely. Poor financial investment in antibiotic research has exacerbated the situation. A call to arms raised by several prestigious scientific organisations a few years ago rallied the scientific community, and now the scope of antibacterial research has broadened considerably. Multi-disciplinary approaches have yielded a wealth of new data on areas ranging from the identification of novel antibacterial targets to the use of biological agents for antibacterial therapy. In this book, respected international experts summarize the most important concepts and pioneering strategies currently being used to develop novel antibacterials. The book opens with chapters on cellular processes that could be used as novel antibacterial targets. Examples include cell division, efflux pumps, metabolite-sensing riboswitches and bacterial secretion systems. These are followed by excellent chapters on the identification of new, naturally occurring antibacterial agents, including phage and biosynthetically engineered compounds. Understanding the host-microbe interaction and microbial communities and how they can be exploited to develop new antibacterial strategies is discussed in subsequent chapters. Other topics included are: antibacterial vaccines adjuvants, host defence peptides, antibodies, within-host models, and diagnostics. A major reference volume on antibacterial research and how it impacts on public health worldwide, the book is essential reading for everyone working in antibacterial research and is a recommended volume for all microbiology libraries.

Microorganisms that convert gaseous nitrogen (N2) to a form suitable for use by living organisms are pivotal for life on earth. Another set of microbial reactions utilise the bioavailable nitrogen creating N2 and completing the cycle. This crucial nutrient cycle has long been the subject of extensive research, and recently advances in studying the biochemistry, bioinformatics, cell biology, and the physiology of bacterial nitrogen cycling processes, alongside the advent of the omics age, have had a massive impact, amongst other things, enabling us to fully appreciate the sheer diversity of approaches adapted by individual organisms. Research in this area is at a very exciting stage. This timely book aims to provide comprehensive reviews of current nitrogen cycle research and to give a broader perspective on the state of our understanding of this key biogeochemical cycle. With contributions from expert authors from around the world, topics covered include: the archaean N-cycle; redox complexes N-cycle; organisation of respiratory chains in N-cycle processes; Mo-nitrogenase; nitrogen assimilation in bacteria; alternative routes to dinitrogen; nitrite and nitrous oxide reductases; assembly of respiratory proteins; nitric oxide metabolism; denitrification in legume-associated endosymbiotic bacteria; nitrous oxide production in the terrestrial environment; bacterial nitrogen cycling in humans. This book will serve as a valuable reference work for everyone working in this field and will also be of interest to researchers studying symbioses, environmental microbiology, plant metabolism, infection events and other prokaryote-eukaryote interactions.

Paramyxoviruses are a diverse family of non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses that include many important human, animal, and zoonotic pathogens. Despite their enormous importance, the nature of the viral genome had proved an obstacle to research, with the result that paramyxoviral research had lagged behind that of other viruses. The advent of reverse genetics in recent years has changed this, enabling great strides to be made in our understanding of the genomics, molecular biology and viral pathogenesis. This book provides a timely and comprehensive review of current knowledge of all paramyxoviruses and is written by renowned scientists who have made seminal contributions in their respective paramyxovirus fields of expertise. Topics include: mumps virus, simian virus 5, parainfluenza viruses, Newcastle disease and related avian paramyxoviruses, Sendai virus, Hendra virus, Nipah virus, measles virus, canine distemper virus, rinderpest virus, peste des petits ruminants virus, human respiratory syncytial virus, metapneumoviruses, and new and emerging paramyxoviruses. Each chapter covers our current knowledge on history, genome organization, viral proteins, reverse genetics, epidemiology, pathogenesis, immunity, diagnosis, prevention and control and future challenges. This book is an invaluable reference source of timely information for virologists, microbiologists, immunologists, physicians, veterinarians and scientists working on paramyxoviruses. It is also strongly recommended for all medical and veterinary school libraries.

Microbial biodegradation of non-metals pollutants plays a pivotal role in the bioremediation of contaminated soil and groundwater sites. Such pollutants include chloroethenes, steroids, organophosphorus compounds, alkanes, PAHs and PCBs. In this important new book, expert international authors exhaustively review this topic from a biochemical and genetic viewpoint, providing a timely overview of current research. Topics covered include: enzymatic biodegradation reactions; the impact of bioturbation on hydrocarbon dynamics in marine sediments; the structure, function and biodiversity of ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases involved in PAH biodegradation; strategies to engineer PCB-degrading bacteria; PCB-degrading plant-microbe systems strategies; the structure, regulation and diversity of microbial genes encoding biodegradative enzymes. In addition there are excellent reviews detailing the application of the state-of-the-art molecular technologies to study biodegradative processes. Technologies covered are community fingerprinting, molecular detection of degradative genes, and metagenomics for the analysis and monitoring of microorganisms in situ. These are complemented well by the fascinating reviews of the catabolic plasmids and mobile genetic elements involved in bioremediation, including discussions on the origin and evolution of these catabolic pathways to different genera. In addition the best procedures for the evaluation and design of relevant in situ remediation strategies are examined and classical ex-situ technologies such Landfarming, Composting, Biopiling and Slurry-phase bioremediation are described. This book is a vital reference resource for research scientists, graduate students, and other specialists interested on microbial bioremediation of organic pollutants and is recommended reading for environmental microbiologists, chemists and engineers.