General Microbiology

9780521272704

052127270X

This translation of the sixth edition of a widely used German textbook is a concise account of microbiology for all students of biological sciences, and includes information on bacteria, fungi and viruses. It covers many fields - cytology, microbial evolution, the comparative biochemistry of micro-organisms and the roles of microbes in ecosystems - and also gives a lucid account of many practical applications of microbes as producers of foods and therapeutic agents, and as decomposing organisms. The study of micro-organisms has contributed to our understanding of many basic problems of biology: the ease with which they may be manipulated and their capacity for adaptation, among other properties, have made them particularly useful. The book will therefore be valuable to students of microbiology, biochemistry and genetics.